Wolfson Centre celebrates five years of research

The Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health marked its fifth anniversary with a celebration event.

The event brought together researchers, collaborators, members of the centre’s Youth Advisory Group, partners and colleagues from across Cardiff University to celebrate five years of collaboration and impact on youth mental health research.

Established in 2020, the Centre was created to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people through world-leading research focused on prevention, early intervention and meaningful public involvement. Five years on, the Centre has developed an internationally recognised research programme, supported the next generation of researchers and embedded young people’s lived experience at the heart of its work.

The celebration opened with a welcome from Professor Kerry Hood, Dean of Research and Innovation at the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, who praised the Centre’s achievements over the past five years.

She described the Centre as bringing “Cardiff University’s vision to work both locally and globally” to life, highlighting its shared commitment to improving outcomes for young people and the importance of placing lived experience voices at the centre of research.

Public Involvement Lead Emma Meilak introduced the Centre’s Youth Advisory Group (YAG).

Members of the group also shared their own experiences through a short film before YAG member Lauren Conway reflected on what being involved with the Centre has meant to her.

“One of the first places that our mental health challenges have not only been accepted but treated as expertise.”

Professor Frances Rice, Co-Director of the Wolfson Centre, reflected on the Centre’s research journey over the last five years, highlighting its focus on prevention and early intervention, alongside the importance of large-scale research resources such as the School Health Research Network. She also celebrated the growth of the Centre’s annual Summer School in Young People’s Mental Health Research, which now attracts hundreds of virtual attendees from around the world.

Throughout the day, researchers showcased work from across the Centre’s research themes, including population mental health, genetics, interventions for young people at high familial risk, school-based mental health interventions, population and patient e-data, and quantitative methods and open science.

Together, the presentations demonstrated how interdisciplinary research is improving the understanding of the factors that influence young people’s mental health and informing better prevention of mental ill health and providing support.

The event also celebrated the Centre’s wider impact through reflections from collaborators and partners. Dr Emily Van de Venter, from Public Health Wales and a member of the Centre’s Implementation and Engagement Board, spoke about the value of working together to develop evidence-based approaches that can be implemented in practice.

Guests also heard a recorded message from Dr Daniel Pine of the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States and a member of the Centre’s Scientific Advisory Board, who congratulated the Centre on its achievements.

“It's one thing to recognise the problems that young people are facing, and it's another to do research on them to try to improve the lives of young people and their families. But to take this recognition and the research that's performed and to bring it into communities so that we can directly try to solve these problems, that is really a monumental achievement indeed.”

The celebration concluded with a poster session and networking reception, providing an opportunity for researchers, partners and young people to continue discussions, share ideas and strengthen collaborations for the future.

As the Wolfson Centre celebrates five years of progress, the event recognised not only its achievements to date but also its continued ambition to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in Wales, the UK and beyond.