Lara Wood

Dr Lara Wood shared her research expertise with the ‘In Yir Heid – Men’s Mental Health’ project, which is focused on understanding and improving support for men in Dundee and nearby communities. 

Working with Dundee City Council and Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership, Lara met the project team to discuss research methods and ethics. Her input helped the partners consider how to design the work, engage participants responsibly and produce findings that could inform future decisions.

The project received a strong response from men who completed its survey, helping to build a clearer evidence base around local experiences of mental health and the support available, and ultimately helping to ensure that services better reflect the needs of men in the community.

By contributing at an early stage, Lara helped strengthen the quality, credibility and care built into the project’s research. The work shows how academic expertise can support civic partners to explore complex challenges and develop a responsible evidence base for action. 

Lara said:

It was great to be able to share my research experience with a project that is tackling such an important issue locally. Working with partners in this way allows us to take academic expertise beyond the University and use it to support work that can make a real difference in our communities.