Mel Hughes

Mel Hughes is Professor of Social Work at Bournemouth University and serves as Director of the National Centre for Cross-Disciplinary Social Work. As Academic Lead for the PIER (Public Involvement in Education and Research) partnership and Deputy Director of the Research Centre for Seldom Heard Voices, she champions co-created methodologies that center lived experience expertise.

Her research focuses on developing inclusive approaches to address social exclusion, particularly through participatory action research with marginalized groups. Key initiatives include investigating digital access in healthcare, parental substance use impacts, and experiences of older male carers. Hughes pioneers arts-based and community-led research models that challenge conventional academic practices.

Publications demonstrate consistent commitment to participatory methodologies across health and social care contexts, with recent works examining co-production in physiotherapy education. Her scholarship advances theoretical frameworks for meaningful stakeholder engagement in professional education and research design.

Hughes supervises doctoral candidates researching decision-making in social work, young carers' experiences, and co-production in mental health services. She leads curriculum development integrating lived experience across social work, midwifery, and health sciences programs.