My Expertise
Dr Peri O’Shea specialises in participatory, co-produced research; drawing on her personal lived experience of mental illness as both a consumer and a carer – including as a kinship carer for young people with cognitive and intellectual disability - and her academic experience in her research work.
Keywords
Fields of Research (FoR)
Primary health care, Mental health services, Health equitySEO tags
Biography
Dr Peri O’Shea
BSocSc (Psyc Hons), MSoc Policy, PhD Applied Sociology
Dr Peri O’Shea is a Lived Experience Academic who specialises in qualitative, participative research in the mental health sector drawing on her academic and lived experiences.
Peri has substantial research and teaching experience in Academic, Public Health and Community settings working with people with lived experience of mental health challenges and their families;...view more
Dr Peri O’Shea
BSocSc (Psyc Hons), MSoc Policy, PhD Applied Sociology
Dr Peri O’Shea is a Lived Experience Academic who specialises in qualitative, participative research in the mental health sector drawing on her academic and lived experiences.
Peri has substantial research and teaching experience in Academic, Public Health and Community settings working with people with lived experience of mental health challenges and their families; mental health and disability practitioners; policy officers; academics, and community leaders.
Peri’s work and personal histories have given prominence to social justice, social inclusion and participation. Peri has a strong history in working with Human Service NGOs and in-service management and a strong understanding of mental health policy and consumer issues.
Peri has degrees in psychology and social policy, a PhD in Applied Sociology and a lived experience of mental illness as both a consumer and a carer.
My Grants
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UNSW 2025 Collaborative Research Seeding Grant Funding. Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addiction Research Scheme. Unifying digital health self-management tools for adults living with severe mental illness: A novel approach to enable lifestyle behaviour change. Role: Chief Investigator (1 of 5). This study will co-develop and user-test a digital solution to improve holistic health self-care for adults living with severe mental illness (SMI). Partnership: UNSW Faculty of Medicine and Health (School of Biomedical Engineering, International Centre for Future Health Systems, School of Clinical Medicine and School of Population Health), Neuroscience Research Australia (Neura) and Mindgardens Neuroscience Network.
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NHMRC No-Body left behind: Integrated Physical Health Care for People living with Severe Mental Illness. Role: Chief Investigator (1 of 10). Partnership with School of Medicine, UNSW, Mindgardens Neuroscience Network, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD), University of Tasmania. 5-year Clinical trial to co-produce an individualised, integrated new service to improve physical health outcomes for people living with a severe mental illness (2023-28).
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CESPHN contract project: Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network General Practitioner Mental Health Shared Program Care (CESPHN GPMHSC) Redesign. Principal Investigating Officer. The objectives of this re-design project are to: address systemic and operational barriers to achieving the aims of the program; use co-design to develop a service model and guidance document; and create an improved model of care that enhances access to and outcomes of primary care engagement. Funded by CESPHN Sept 2024 - June 2025.
My Qualifications
B. Social Science (Psyc Hons), MSoc Policy, PhD Applied Sociology
My Research Activities
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Research areas
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Previous Relevant Projects
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My Engagement
Dr O’Shea’s engagement has included: MindGardens Steering Committee (current), Heal for Life Foundation Director (current); CEO Being (consumer peak organisation in NSW 2010-17) Mental Health Commission of NSW Consumer Lived Experience Advisory Group 2016- 17; Central and Eastern Sydney PHN Community Council Community Council Member 2017; SESLHD Recovery College Steering Committee 2016-17; National Mental Health Commission Lived Experience Steering Group 2017-18.
Dr O'Shea was the CEO of Being: Mental Health Consumers NSW 2010 - 2017. Being is the peak organisation representing people with a lived experience of mental health challenges in NSW. Dr O'Shea made many connections during her tenure as the being CEO including with; staff and management in NSW and Federal Health Ministries, in LHDs and in community organisations; peer workers; and other people with lived experience and their carers. Dr O'Shea has maintained and built on these connections which she continues to draw on in her collaborative research work.
My Teaching
Dr O'shea is the Co-convenor Prevention & Management of Chronic Disease (PHCM9129) Masters course (T3/24) - offered as part of the Master of Public Health with the School of Population Health, Medicine and Health UNSW. Dr O'shea has substantive teaching roles with the Mental Health Division of the Health Education and Training Institute (HETI) including the co-facilitation of the Leadership in Mental Health for the Masters Course for mental health clinicians.
Location
Room 335, Level 3, AGSM Building
UNSW SYDNEY 2052
ORCID as entered in ROS
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1393-2516