Jennifer Oates

Dr. Jennifer Oates is a Senior Personal Tutor and Lead for Wellbeing in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Surrey, where she also holds the role of Senior Teaching Fellow. Her academic career includes previous roles as Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at King's College London (2016–2022), Specialist Adviser for the Care Quality Commission (2012–2021), and Mental Health Act Reviewer. She holds a PhD in Mental Health from City University of London (2016), complemented by degrees from the University of Leeds, including a BA in English Language & Literature (1997) and an MA in Social Research (2002).

Her research focuses on mental health and wellbeing among healthcare professionals and students, mental health ethics, and peer support strategies in higher education. She supervises PhD projects exploring Recovery College collaborations and peer support systems. Dr. Oates is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Interprofessional Care and contributes to editorial boards of mental health publications. She also serves as a Specialist Lay Member of Mental Health Act Tribunals.

Her recent work examines wellbeing interventions for NHS staff during the pandemic, curriculum impacts on student wellbeing, and workforce sustainability in forensic mental health settings. She advocates for holistic approaches to mental health education and policy, emphasizing co-production between practitioners and service users.