World Mental Health Day 2023
The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on the 10th of October every year. This year's theme is "Mental health is a universal human right".
If you want to know more, please visit the Mental Health Foundation website.
The Department of Oncology is hosting a series of events in the Old Road Campus Research Building (ORCRB). This initiative is led by the two Student Welfare Representatives (Beatrice Salerno and Giampiero Valenzano) and endorsed by the Department of Oncology Athena Swan Committee.
The event will be an opportunity for students and staff to engage in mental health-promoting activities (like yoga), learn more about topics such as the importance of sleep and the mental health in the workplace, and get to meet the divisional peer supporters and mental health first aiders (for a full list, see the bottom of this page).
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
TIMES | TUESDAY 10th OCTOBER 2023 | VENUE |
10:30 - 11:15 | FREE YOGA SESSION (1) Do you want to start the morning with a great lift to your mental health? Are you down for something that will energise your body and calm your mind? Then come and try this free yoga session, with yoga instructor Louise King. This session is for all levels, no prior experience required. BOOKING REQUIRED (only 10 people!), click here to book. Please, bring your own mat, wear comfortable clothes, and avoid big meals before the session. | Oncology Education Hub Tutorial Room (Lower Ground Floor) |
11:30 - 12:15 | FREE YOGA SESSION (2) Do you want to start the morning with a great lift to your mental health? Are you down for something that will energise your body and calm your mind? Then come and try this free yoga session, with yoga instructor Louise King. This session is for all levels, no prior experience required. BOOKING REQUIRED (only 10 people!), click here to book. Please, bring your own mat, wear comfortable clothes, and avoid big meals before the session. | Oncology Education Hub Tutorial Room (Lower Ground Floor) |
12:30 - 14:00 | LUNCH MENTAL HEALTH FAIR Are you feeling lost with the start of this academic year? Do you need help but don’t know who to ask? Come and see all the options available to you at the Lunch Mental Health Fair. Our stand will allow the opportunity to meet your departmental welfare reps, divisional Peer Supporters, and Mental Health First aiders (see bottom of this page for more details). Juices and chocolates will be provided. NO BOOKING REQUIRED, just come and visit us. | ORCRB Main Atrium (Ground floor) |
15:00 - 15:30 | MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE Do you want to learn how to deal with difficult dynamics in the workplace? Are you keen on improving your listening skills when it comes to colleagues and fellow students? Then come and listen to this talk by Julie Field (Restore). NO BOOKING REQUIRED | Oncology Education Hub Lecture Theatre (Lower Ground Floor) |
16:00 - 16:30 | THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN WELLBEING Do you struggle with falling asleep at night? Do you want to know more about why we sleep (or… don’t)? Then this talk by Brooke Prakash is the talk for you. NO BOOKING REQUIRED | Oncology Education Hub Lecture Theatre (Lower Ground Floor) |
PEER SUPPORTERS
Peer supporters are DPhil students that have been trained to listen non-judgmentally and refer or signpost where appropriate. They are scattered between several departments in the Medical Sciences Division (MSD).
Find a complete list of the 2023 MSD Peer Supporters below.
Giampiero Valenzano (He/Him), Oncology
Mohamed Elzawahry (He/Him), NDS
Ajantha Abey (He/Him), DPAG
Emilia Antonio (She/Her), NDM
Mingtong Wei (He/Him), NDM
Zoe Wong (She/Her), NDM
Isabel Neale (She/Her), NDM
Tom Wilson (He/Him), RDM
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AIDERS
Mental Health First Aiders are group of students, postdocs, and staff that have been trained to provide mental health first aid. Their training is certified by MHFA England. MHFAs can be found throughout the whole University, but those closest to students in the Oncology Department are in the Oncology and NDS departments.
Find a complete list of the 2023 MHFAs from these two departments below.
Giampiero Valenzano, Oncology
Shannon N. Russell, Oncology
Matthew Jackson, Oncology
Yanyan Jiang, Oncology
Emily Hotine, NDS
John Gilbert, NDS
Jo Snoeck, NDS
Nicky Iyer, NDS
Paul Johnson, NDS
Shelley Hammond, NDS
Gurdeep Mannu, NDS
Yanshu Cai, NDS