Young Minds: Mental health challenges
Lina Gega, Koen Lamberts, Rosie Tressler and Richard Brabner (Chair)

• Wednesday 14 June 2017, 11.30AM to 12.30pm
• Free admission
  Booking required
• Ron Cooke Hub, University of York (map|getting to campus)
• Wheelchair accessible

Event details

Join us as we explore the mental health challenges facing young people today and discuss how to create supportive environments for students. The UPP Foundation hosts a special panel discussion on how to ensure young people are provided with the knowledge, confidence and skills they need to look after their own mental health and to support others.  

One of the UPP Foundation’s first actions after its establishment last year, was to award a grant to the UK’s student mental health charity, Student Minds. Rosie Tressler, Chief Executive of Student Minds, will explain Student Minds’ research-driven training and support.

Our speakers also include Lina Gega, a Reader in Mental Health at the University of York and the Hull York Medical School, and Koen Lamberts, Vice-Chancellor of the University of York. In September last year, the University of York announced it was investing up £500,000 in mental health care provision over the next three years to further enhance student support services and strengthen its community partnerships in promoting positive mental well-being. The investment followed a six-month review of University mental health support, prompted by an increasing demand on services from students and disruptions to mental health provision in the city.

The event is chaired by Richard Brabner, Head of the UPP Foundation.

About the speakers

Dr Lina Gega is a Reader in Mental Health at the Mental Health and Addiction Research Group (MHARG), University of York, in a joint appointment with the Department of Health Sciences and Hull York Medical School (HYMS). She holds honorary clinical posts in the NHS and is co-director of the Child Oriented Mental Health Interventions Centre (COMIC), established by Professor Barry Wright. Her current research and clinical practice focuses on delivering and evaluating interventions with children and young people who experience or are at risk of common mental health problems, in collaboration with NHS services, schools and charities. She is a Senior Advisor with HYMS Student Support Services and a member of the Student Mental Health Forum at the University of York.

Lina is a mental health nurse and cognitive behaviour therapist, with a PhD in Health Services Research from the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London.  She has led clinical training for doctors, nurses and therapists at King’s College London and Norwich Medical School, and received a teaching excellence award and a teaching fellowship from King’s College London. She has been a clinical lead for the commissioning and provision of primary care psychological therapy services in Norfolk and Northumberland.  She has been a grant applicant and co-investigator with research teams securing over £5 million in funding. Her expertise is in digital mental health, especially computerised therapies and virtual environments.

Professor Koen Lamberts is Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of York. He is Chair of the N8 Research Partnership, Chair of the Employers Pension Forum for Higher Education and Chair of UKCISA's Board of Trustees. He is also a Board Member of The Russell Group, the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership, the Outward Mobility Strategy Board, Universities and Colleges Employers Association, the White Rose University Consortium, the Worldwide Universities Network and Yorkshire Universities.

Koen holds undergraduate degrees in Philosophy (1985) and Psychology (1987) and a PhD in Experimental Psychology (1992) from the University of Leuven.  Following a research appointment at the University of Chicago, he became a lecturer at the University of Birmingham in 1992.  He was Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Warwick from 2000 to 2013.  At Warwick, he served as Faculty Chair for Science, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research (Science and Medicine) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost.  

He has a track record of experimental research into cognitive processes in perception, memory and decision making, and of mathematical and computational modelling of these processes.  He has collaborated with commercial and industrial partners in applied research that has focused on consumer behaviour and product design. He was a recipient of the British Psychological Society’s Cognitive Award (1996) and of the Experimental Psychology Society Prize (1997).

Rosie Tressler is the Chief Executive of Student Minds. Rosie joined Student Minds in 2013 after working in a range of student facing organisations. As well as heading up the team at Student Minds, Rosie manages key partnerships and works on funding and business development. She occasionally dabbles in training delivery, as there's nothing better than meeting students and staff that are passionate about mental health! Previous to her current role, Rosie led on campaigns and network development at Student Minds. ​You can find Rosie on twitter: @rosietressler

Richard Brabner was appointed Head of UPP Foundation in July 2016. Working with the trustees, he sets its strategy and leads on all aspects of the UPP Foundation’s activities. Richard joined UPP in 2015 as Business Development Manager and his responsibilities included setting up the UPP Foundation.

Prior to joining UPP, he was Head of Policy at the University of Hertfordshire, advising the Vice-Chancellor and senior management team and leading the University’s public affairs function. Before this, he worked as a researcher for two MPs in Parliament. He graduated from the University of Essex in 2007 and holds an MRes in Public Policy and Management from Birkbeck, University of London.

About the UPP Foundation

The UPP Foundation is an independent charity established and funded by student accommodation provider University Partnerships Programme to help tackle the biggest issues facing the higher education sector across the UK. Find out more at upp-foundation.org 

Tickets