Inga is on secondment at the Oxford Brain Health Clinic (OBHC) as a Research Assistant where she volunteers in projects related to dementia, including studies about comorbidities and medication in dementia.

She also helped to set up a mixed method study and was working closely with our NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (OH BRC) Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in Research Group to support researchers looking into behaviour changes in a memory clinic population.

In this interview, Inga speaks about her passion for integrating clinical mental health care with research to improve patient outcomes and advance evidence-based practices.

Tell us about yourself, and what attracted you to working at Oxford Brain Health Clinic? (on secondment)

I am a community Psychiatric Nurse. My background includes experience in mental health nursing and research, which developed further during my secondment with OBHC. I was keen to work there because of its innovative approach and opportunity to learn from leading professionals, contribute to evidence based practise and gain real insight by stepping behind the scenes of the research process.

What I really love is that research today is no longer shut away in an ‘ivory tower ‘. It is out in the real world involving the public, communicating research in a way that people understand while listening to their requirements.

What is the focus of the work in your department? 

Our department focuses on delivering high-quality mental health care to the community while supporting research initiatives that advance understanding and treatment of psychiatric conditions. We aim to bridge clinical practice and research so patients can benefit from evidence-based innovations.

What does a day in your current job look like? What are you currently working on?

A typical day involves handover care planning, and crisis intervention, alongside liaising with multidisciplinary teams. I am currently working on strengthening the link between clinical practice and research by identifying eligible patients for studies and promoting research awareness among staff and service users. The study I worked on explored Multimorbidity and its influence on dementia risk, as well as problematic repetitive behaviour in Dementia. There are exiting new research efforts in anxiety, depression and psychosis, with ongoing studies exploring both pharmacological and psychological interventions.

How did you get to where you are today?

My journey started in Latvia, which is my country of origin and where I trained as a nurse which continued in the UK, where I specialised in mental health. I have always admired English culture, and in particular Oxford and Cambridge as world leading research centres which were always a dream for me to be a part of. Living and working in Oxford feels like being part of that heritage. My interest in research grew significantly during my master’s degree and opened doors to opportunities for secondment within OHFT and the Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (OH BRC).  Now working at Oxford Brain Health Clinic allows me to combine clinical practice with research, something I am truly passionate about.

Who or what inspires you?

I am very inspired by my colleagues. I have the best team at Oxford Health, in particular in particular the Older Adult mental health  community team (OA MHT). They are so passionate about improving mental health care. I am also inspired by our patients who show resilience in the face of challenges. The team at OBHC is another example of passionate and dedicated professionals whom I learned a great deal from during my secondment, and this has motivated me to continue learning and contributing. During my master’s degree I conducted a qualitative study exploring job satisfaction among mental health nursing. The findings revealed that the greatest sense of fulfilment comes when ‘patients are ‘back to track’. The best reward -when patients return to their lives. This resonates deeply with me. Anything that can facilitate patient recovery motivates me.

If you were not in your job currently, what would you like to be doing?

If I were not in my current role, I would love to work in a research-focused position full-time, contributing to studies that shape the future of mental health care. Alternatively, I would enjoy teaching and mentoring new nurses to help them develop confidence and skills in both clinical and research settings.