Emma Soneson

Emma is pleased to consider applications from prospective MSc & DPhil (PhD) students with interest in child and adolescent mental health, school mental health, or public mental health. 

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I lead a broad portfolio of research in child and adolescent mental health, with interests ranging from psychiatric epidemiology to intervention development and evaluation. I have particular expertise in public health approaches, mental health services and support, mental health needs of marginalised & minoritised populations, and ways in which we can support schools to take a central role in mental health promotion and prevention.

A significant focus in my work pertains to how to ensure that mental health support is available, accessible, and acceptable to children and adolescents. Much of my research uses data from the OxWell Student Survey (PI Prof Mina Fazel), a large school-based survey exploring a wide range of factors related to child and adolescent mental health and wellbeing. I have used these data to explore vulnerable adolescents' access to and unmet need for mental health services, map adolescents' networks of care, and assess students' perceptions of school-based mental health support. My ongoing research within the OxWell Student Survey is especially focused on the mental health support needs and experiences of children and adolescents from minoritised and marginalised populations, including young people with experience of maltreatment and adversity, trans and gender diverse young people, young people from minoritised ethnic backgrounds, and young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Within the realm of mental health care, I am also interested in learning about new and evolving forms of support for today's adolescents. I am currently co-leading (with Dr Holly Bear) a mixed-methods study examining the role of digital tools within young people's wider networks of care. In this study, we are exploring how young people use these (largely unregulated) tools, their perceived advantages and disadvantages, and their views on where - if anywhere - these tools should fit within care pathways.

Reflecting my broader interests in child and adolescent public mental health, I also have roles within projects focusing on 

• social determinants of mental (ill) health (e.g. here),
• school-based mental health interventions (e.g. here),
• relationships between mental health and academic attainment,
• child maltreatment and interpersonal victimisation,
• exposure to potentially harmful online content, 
• consent in the context of research and mental health services (e.g. here),
• eating disorder epidemiology (e.g. here), and
• physical activity interventions.

Beyond this work, I am also curious about how to support more meaningful participation and engagement in mental health research. As part of this work, I co-lead a mixed-methods randomised controlled trial (The BrainWaves Adolescent Consent Study) to assess whether the way in which we obtain informed consent impacts adolescents' participation in (mental) health research. This trial will enable us to learn how we can empower young people to confidently take part in research. 

Finally, I am strongly invested in supporting the personal and professional development of the next generation of researchers. I have supervised and mentored many students and clinicians, from undergraduate interns to PhD/DPhil students, and additionally lead on research methodology teaching for the Oxford Postgraduate Psychiatry Course (OPPC). You can read about some of my work in creating more inclusive and equitable research cultures here.

Prior to joining the department, I completed a PhD in Psychiatry (2022) and an MPhil in Public Health (2017) at the University of Cambridge. My PhD research, funded by the Gates Cambridge Trust and UKRI Emerging Minds Network, focused on public health approaches for improving early identification and intervention for child and adolescent mental health difficulties and was awarded the Cambridge Clinical School's Milo Keynes Prize for Outstanding Dissertation and the Bill Gates Sr. Prize for 'outstanding research and social leadership'.