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Find a PhD Supervisor

Professor Gavin Davidson

School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work
Professor Gavin Davidson

Professor Gavin Davidson

School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work

Gavin’s main research interests are in the area of mental health, specifically: the effectiveness of mental health services; the social determinants of mental health; human rights and mental health/mental capacity legislation; and the associations between adverse childhood experiences and mental health.

He is the Praxis Chair of Social Care; the Programme Director for the MSc in Mental Health and Mental Capacity Law (which includes the Approved Social Work Programme which is delivered in partnership with the Health and Social Care Trusts); and one of the social work representatives on the Department of Health's Reference Group for the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.

His research has included work on the effectiveness of mental health services; the associations between trauma, inequalities and mental health; and the legal frameworks for intervention.

Contact info

  • View Academic Profile
  • g.davidson@qub.ac.uk
  • +44 (0)28 9097 3151

Research Interests

Open to PhD applications in the field of

  • Mental health
  • Health inequalities
  • Human rights

Make a PhD enquiry


Public outreach & key achievements

  • Gavin’s research on the use of mental health law has helped inform the development of the Mental Capacity Act 
    (Northern Ireland) 2016 and he is involved in further research to consider how this should be implemented in practice.
  • His research on the associations between adversity, inequalities and mental health, and on the effectiveness of
    interventions, has also informed the development of mental health policy and practice.

Research students

PhD Title Online mental health peer support for young people
Name Shuting Yuan
Country Northern Ireland and China
   
PhD Title  Preventing psychosis in young people: a secondary-level school-based intervention
Name Louise Cassidy
Country Northern Ireland
   
PhD Title  Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach in Early Intervention Services for Psychosis
Name Joshua Kearns
Country Northern Ireland
   

 


Alumni: Where are they now

PhD Title Exploring the experiences of people with advanced lung cancer and their palliative care professionals
Name Audrey Roulston
Country  Northern Ireland
Current Position Lecturer in Social Work at Queen’s University Belfast
   
PhD Title Replicating an Evidence-Based Model in Northern Ireland: An Exploration of the Influence of Staff Characteristics on Family Outcomes within Multi-Systemic Therapy
Name  Colm Walsh
Country Northern Ireland
Current Position Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast
   
PhD Title Hospital care to promote the wellbeing of teenagers and young adults with cancer: Young person, parent and professional perspectives
Name  Suzanne Mooney
Country Northern Ireland
Current Position Lecturer in Social Work at Queen’s University Belfast

 

 


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  • Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
  • School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work 
  • Centre for Inclusion, Transformation and Equality

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20 College Green
Belfast
Northern Ireland
BT7 1LN

E-mail: ssesw@qub.ac.uk

Tel:+44 (0)28 9097 5941

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  • Criminology
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  • Sociology

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