Meet the team
Andy Sedgwick
Clinical research officer
Andy has worked in the NHS for over 12 years. Initially his role was as a support,time and recovery worker for Insight, an early intervention service for people experiencing psychosis. Now he is a clinical research officer for the research and development team.
Andy has extensive experience working with individuals who suffer from serious mental health conditions as well as families and services who provide care and treatment. This experience is incredibly helpful for supporting service users, carers and other individuals into studies and research.
Andy’s main hobby outside of work is recording and editing videos for amateur projects and home movies. He also enjoys travelling, photography, music and video games.
Aysia Ilyas
Clinical research and engagement officer
Aysia joined the team in October 2021. Being trained as a psychological wellbeing practitioner, Aysia, has previous experience of working therapeutically on a 1:1 and group basis with clients presenting with mental health conditions.
Having worked across a range of mental health services in both NHS and non-NHS settings this has enabled her to increase her skills and knowledge of working with diverse range of clients and mental health conditions. Aysia’s current role involves working with studies and to collaboratively work with services to improve research engagement.
Aysia’s personal interest is health and wellbeing. She enjoys treating herself outside of work and enjoys her regular spa treats!
Debby Walker
Research administrator
Debby has been with the Team since December 2021, having been seconded from Pastoral Care, where she worked for 8 years.
Debby has had a varied secretarial career, working in the legal sector and education and working as a call handler with West Yorkshire Police for several years before starting work at the Trust.
Outside of work, Debby likes walking, cycling, eating out and putting the world to rights!
Dr Mohinder Kapoor
Associate medical director (research and development)
Dr Mohinder Kapoor is a consultant psychiatrist and has worked in the NHS for 22 years, specialising in Old Age Psychiatry in South Kirklees, Trust medical investigator and appraiser.
Dr Kapoor joined the team in January 2022, as the associate medical director for the research and development team. This is a key role in driving forward the research agenda within the Trust and continuing to raise the profile of the Trust’s research capabilities nationally, through clinical research networks.
Dr Kapoor was formerly a foundation training programme director at Health Education Yorkshire and the Humber and clinical lead for older people’s services in Calderdale and Kirklees.
He is an experienced consultant with a Membership of Royal College of Psychiatry, Master’s in Public Health, Diploma in Psychiatry and Post Graduate Certificate in Health Research from University of Leeds.
Dr Kapoor’s main hobby outside of work is playing cricket. He also enjoys travelling, music and spending time with his family.
Dr Emmanuel Nwofe
Research assistant
Emmanuel is a community leader with vast experience in community integration, social cohesion, and diversity.
Emmanuel has a background in journalism and public relations, with a varied career as a lecturer in higher education, a researcher, and a support worker in the mental health setting.
Emmanuel is currently involved in the GPS and Trauma-Informed Personality Disorder studies as a research assistant, committing to the recruitment of participants, data collection and analysis.
Outside of work, Emmanuel enjoys playing Squash and outdoor activities with family and friends.
Helen Carter
Research and governance administrator
Helen has worked with the team since the department was established in 2011 having moved over from a clinical service.
She has extensive and varied admin experience having previously worked in advertising and motorway services before joining the Trust in 2009.
Helen believes in the departments commitment to embed research opportunities Trust wide, that offer service users, carers and staff the chance to take part in studies that may contribute to evidence to improve patient outcomes and recovery, new treatments, services and staff wellbeing.
Helen’s role is very wide-ranging and involves supporting the many admin and governance processes associated with hosting a research study at the Trust.
Outside work Helen spends time with family and friends and enjoys weekend breaks away.
Julie Bagwash
Creative practitioner
Julie has used her own mental health journey to encourage others to express themselves through positive and safe self-expression.
Having recently joined the Trust Trauma Informed Personality Disorder Pathway and research team, Julie now uses her own experiences and knowledge to support staff to work co-productively and have meaningful service user engagement.
Julie has worked and delivered training to various organisations, NHS Staff, service user groups, Police, forensic services, Prisons and acute settings as well as those in the community.
Julie wishes to continue her journey connecting, listening to and working alongside individuals. There has been a huge shift around involvement for the better over the last decade and working together provides the chance to do things differently and acknowledge and validate everyone’s perspectives.
When not at work Julie loves anything to do with under the sea as she is a Mermaid at heart. This is what supports her to ‘keep on swimming’.
Mark Harper
Senior clinical research officer
Mark has a varied career as a nursing auxiliary, support worker and STR worker within mental and physical health services prior to becoming a clinical research officer.
Mark has extensive experience across a range of research topics, delivering on a variety of areas in mental health. He promotes involvement in research by engaging with service users, staff, families and carers.
He has an interest in improving the lives of others and service development through high quality research and has a particular interest in physical activity and mental wellbeing.
Outside of work Mark enjoys digital art, painting, running, playing the Nintendo Switch, tropical plants and gardens.
Nirmala Ragbir-Day
Clinical research officer
Nirmala has a varied career in research, education, and healthcare and has worked for the Trust for over 12 years with the pastoral and spiritual care team, delivering spiritual training and development to staff, service users and carers.
She joined the R&D team as a clinical research officer in 2021 supporting various research projects to help enhance person-centred care for people with severe mental health challenges. She strongly believes research can help inform policies to improve people’s quality of life and wellbeing.
Nirmala also works with charities in promoting spirituality in healthcare with value-based training and development projects. She is actively involved in environmental awareness and in helping people to experience greater well-being through inner peace and universal values.
Outside of work she enjoys meditation, gardening and taking walks in the countryside.
Dr. Osahon Ogbeiwi
Research assistant
Dr. Osahon Ogbeiwi, research assistant (postdoctoral) with base professional background in Medicine and Theology, and specialisation in Public Health.
Currently, he is involved in the recruitment of study participants for the study of Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression (GLAD) and is doing a systematic literature review for the proposed Secret Story Network (SSN) study of the therapeutic use of a digital storytelling and game role-playing app to support improvement of mental health and wellbeing.
Rosie Henderson
Clinical research officer
Rosie has a background in research spanning 18 years. She has worked on research projects to help enhance person-centred care for people living with Dementia.
Rosie re-joined the NHS as part of the R&D team in Sept 2020 and enjoys a varied role helping to support various mental health-based projects.
In her personal life, Rosie has trained as a reflexologist and is passionate about aromatherapy, having enrolled on a professional diploma course. She enjoys spending time with her family and her cats, being in the countryside and has a creative streak.
Lisa Horner
Senior clinical research officer
Lisa started working in research in 2010 and since then she has worked across several NHS Trusts on different portfolios.
Lisa is passionate about research, improving patient pathways and further treatments.
She has extensive experience working across a variety of different research areas, delivering on Oncology, Haematology, Gastroenterology & currently Mental Health studies.
Outside of work she enjoys developing her photography skills and spending time with family and friends.
Dr Wajid Khan
Research and development manager
Wajid has worked in the NHS and health care setting for over 18 years building extensive experience in clinical, research and teaching practices.
Wajid joined the team in 2015 having previously worked in the clinical psychology team in Wakefield and North Kirklees alongside a teaching and research role at the University of Huddersfield.
Within Wajid’s current role, he manages a progressive team of researchers who work across the Trust and University partners supporting clinical colleagues to engage and develop their research capacity and aspirations.
Mike Doyle
Professor of mental health
Professor Michael Doyle is professor of mental health at the University of Huddersfield, a joint appointment with South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and an honorary clinical chair in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, at the University of Manchester.
He has worked in mental health services for over 30 years. Previously accredited by the BABCP as a CBT therapist and worked as nurse consultant specialising in clinical risk in forensic services. He is former president of the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services.
He has attracted significant research funding and published and presented widely on psychosocial risk assessment, formulation and interventions, forensic mental health nursing and related subjects.
He led the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership suicide prevention advisory network from 2016 to December 2020 developing an evidence-based strategy for the area that attracted substantial funding for public health, health, social care and allied services.
Sabina Maas
Clinical research officer
Sabina has diverse and extensive experience from work in data management and data analysis, placement experience in research agency and assisting on research commissioned by commercial companies, to working clinically as a support worker after completing MSc in Psychology.
In her current role as a clinical research officer, she is gaining experience in supporting various research projects in mental health in a NHS setting. Through this work she believes she can improve peoples lives. She enjoys wide spectrum of the projects that this role offers.
In her spare time, Sabina, enjoys walking in the countryside, bike rides and playing tennis with her children.
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