Verusca Calabria

Dr Verusca Calabria is an Associate Professor of Mental Health Histories in the Department of Social Work, Care and Community, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She co-convenes the cross-faculty NTU Oral History Network Seminar Series and sits on the Management Committee of the European Health Histories COST Action.

Education

• PhD, Nottingham Trent University (2020)
• MA Life History Research, University of Sussex
• BA (First Class) History and Cultural Studies, University of Brighton

Research Interests

Dr Calabria’s scholarship lies at the intersection of the social history and heritage of mental healthcare, employing participatory oral-history and action-research methodologies. She explores how memories of institutional and community care can be co-produced with former patients and staff to illuminate the transition from asylum to community provision, affective dimensions of care, and the politics of psychiatric heritage.

Research Funding & Impact

She has secured significant external grants, notably £98,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (2022) for "Fifty Years of Middle Street Resource Centre" and £10,000 for the earlier "Hidden Memories of Mental Health Care" project. These initiatives translate academic research into public exhibitions, documentary film, and community archives that democratise historical narratives of mental health.

Scientific Awards & Recognition

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
• Trustee of the Oral History Society
• Chair, Heritage & Public Engagement Working Group, European Health Histories COST Action
• Coordinator, Oral History Society 2023 National Conference on collaborative oral histories

Teaching & Supervision

She leads modules on Person-centred Interventions and Young People & Social Care within the BA (Hons) Health and Social Care programme, and lectures across BA Social Work, MA Social Work and BA Nursing. She welcomes doctoral students interested in psychosocial approaches to mental health, history of psychiatry/mental healthcare, and participatory methodologies.

Labs, Networks & Teams

Dr Calabria co-convenes the NTU Oral History Network, serves on the Steering Committee of the "Lily’s Legacy" oral history project, and is a member of the Transformative Welfare working group within the €500k Horizon Europe Slow Memory COST Action. These roles embed her research in national and international collaborative infrastructures.