Dr Una Foye

I started at KCL in March 2019 to join the Mental Health Nursing team at IOPPN. My work has previously focused on understanding individuals’ experiences of living with mental health problems to help improve how we develop and improve services to meet the needs of those using them. This interest comes from my work in the third sector providing support services to young people with eating disorders in Northern Ireland. I completed my PhD at Ulster University exploring the role of emotional intelligence in the onset and maintenance of disordered eating and have published and presented a number of papers to help develop an understanding of how we can utilise emotions within interventions and within recovery.  

Beyond this area of specialist interest, I have worked on numerous research studies focused on patient experience with a particular interest in inpatient mental health settings and acute medical settings. This work includes the national study into patient experience: EURIPIDES with Queen Mary University of London and Warwick University, and Mental Health in Acute Care Study at City University London.  

Most recently I was awarded an LSI Centre for Mind Public Participation grant to develop a public event using comedy as a creative approach to talking about mental health and eating disorders. The event was a great success, showing new approaches to talking about mental health. This engagement work remains an area I’ve interested in and want to further develop.  

 

Research Interests 

• Patient Experience in Mental Health 
• Eating Disorders 
• Emotional Intelligence 

Expertise and Public Engagement

I developed the “truth about self-harm” guide for the Mental Health Foundation which as selected by young people for inclusion in the national Reading Well project on young peoples mental health. Available: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/Truth%20about%20self%20harm%20WEB%20FINAL.pdf. 

I have written a number of blog pieces for the Mental Elf on social mental health mental health and male eating disorders. 

Currently CoI on the Hungry for Words project with colleagues in Nottingham University to develop an animation to raise awareness of male eating disorders in GP’s. 

I am a member of the BPS Faculty of Eating Disorders.