Alex Perkins

I am Alex Perkins, a PhD student based at Queen Mary University London. My academic background is based in psychology, predominately within the field of mental health. Prior to my PhD, most of my experience was in Australia, developing a co-designed mental health role to be placed within schools across Victoria state. Since then, I have worked in the public and private sector, both clinically and within research, supporting a range of different populations, including displaced groups, people with dementia, carers and young people with learning disabilities. My passions lie within co-creating knowledge and co-designing clinical outputs which can have real-world implications. 

I began my PhD in 2024 where I am employing experimental, qualitative and visual-creative methods to explore the relationship between trauma, perception and social functioning in displaced groups. I have spent the first year of my PhD engaging with local NGOs, displaced communities, and other researchers, which has allowed me to embed myself in the community and understand how best to conduct research in this context. The CHal community's focus on contextualising health and illness within culture aligns with my values as a researcher. My experience working with different populations has taught me the importance of culture in shaping perceptions of health and support needs, and I believe it is crucial to co-create knowledge with communities. By being part of CHal, I hope to connect with colleagues who share these values and learn more about different approaches and methodologies. I am specifically interested in learning from others' experiences with visual-creative methods so I can be well-equipped when I begin to use this approach in my own research.

Email: a.m.perkins@qmul.ac.uk

Affiliation: Queen Mary University London, United Kingdom