Lewis Benjamin

Biography

Lewis is a Research Assistant based between the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health and the Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience. He is also completing a funded doctoral studentship working with service users and clinicians to better understand and strengthen service provision offered to those who have experienced complex trauma and PTSD who are from Black backgrounds.

Lewis joined the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health in January 2024. He is particularly interested in reducing mental health inequalities for disadvantaged groups and a focus on community partnerships to enhance the use of research in policy and clinical practice.

Prior to this, Lewis has experience working clinically across the NHS and third sector with adults and young people with mental health difficulties. He has completed a BSc in Psychology at the University of Birmingham, a MSc in Mental Health Studies at King’s College London, and further postgraduate training (PG Dip) in Psychology at UCL.

Research Interests

• Trauma and PTSD
• Refugee mental health and trauma
• Social determinants of health
• Mental health inequalities and policy
• Evaluation of acute and crisis mental healthcare pathways

Research Groups

• Health Inequalities Research Network
• Refugee Mental Health and Place Network

Publications

•  Benjamin, L., Gillard, S., Jones Nielsen, J., Costa E. Silva, M. and Sin, J. (2025). Cultural Adaptations to the Assessment and Treatment of Trauma Experiences Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Trauma, Violence, & Abusedoi:10.1177/15248380251320982
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• Hambrook, D. G., Aries, D., Benjamin, L., & Rimes, K. A. (2022). Group intervention for sexual minority adults with common mental health problems: Preliminary evaluation. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 50(6), 575–589. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465822000297
  
  
• Spencer, E., Griffiths, S., Flanagan, K., O’Keeffe, A., Wiegand, M., Benjamin, L., D’Andrea, F., Wilcock, J., Poole, M., Walters, K. R., Robinson, L., & Rait, G. (2024). Access to personalised dementia care planning in primary care: A mixed methods evaluation of the PriDem intervention. BMJ Open, 14(7), e082083. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-082083
  
  
• Griffiths, S., Spencer, E., Flanagan, K., O’Keeffe, A., Hunter, R., Wiegand, M., D’Andrea, F., Benjamin, L., Poole, M., Hagan, A. J., Brar, M., Wilcock, J., Walters, K. R., Robinson, L., & Rait, G. (2024). Evaluating a model of best practice in primary care led post-diagnostic dementia care: Feasibility and acceptability findings from the PriDem study. BMJ Open, 14(7), e083175. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-083175