Gemma Trainor

Dr Gemma Trainor is an Associate Professor in Mental Health Nursing at the University of Salford, appointed in March 2023. Previously, she held positions at Liverpool John Moores University as Senior Lecturer (2020-2023) and at King's College London (2016-2020). She has over 30 years of clinical experience in mental health nursing, specializing in young people with complex mental health issues, particularly self-harm. She currently leads the Chair of Adult Social Care Nursing program (2024-2029), focusing on nurse-led research and education in adult social care across the UK.

Education: PhD in group therapy for self-harm in adolescents (2001), MA, and postgraduate diplomas in counseling (1992–1996).

Research focuses on children/young people’s mental health, self-harm prevention, eating disorders, transgender health, and adverse childhood experiences. She contributed to NICE guidelines on self-harm management (2020–2022) and chairs the Royal College of Nursing’s Children and Young People’s Staying Healthy Forum (since 2021).

Publications include pivotal studies on group therapy efficacy and cost-effectiveness for adolescent self-harm (2009–2011). She leads the Centre for Applied Health Research at Salford, integrating clinical practice with academic research.