Senior editorial team
André Tomlin: Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
André Tomlin is an Information Scientist with 30 years experience working in evidence-based healthcare. He’s worked in the NHS, for Oxford University and since 2002 as Managing Director of Minervation Ltd, a consultancy company who do clever digital stuff for charities, universities and the public sector.
André is the driving force behind the Mental Elf and the National Elf Service; an innovative digital platform that helps professionals keep up to date with simple, clear and engaging summaries of evidence-based research. André is a Trustee at the Centre for Mental Health and an Honorary Research Fellow at University in Bristol. He lives in Bristol, surrounded by dogs, dusty vinyl, teenage elflings and lots of woodland!
Connect with André on LinkedIn.
Dr Kirsten Lawson: Managing Editor
Kirsten is a Consultant Psychiatrist at Kent & Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust with nearly 30 years of clinical experience. She has previously worked to develop a network of Liaison services across Kent; completed a significant improvement project within community based services and is now clinically focussed on acute inpatient services. Throughout her career she has gained a wealth of experience in management and leadership roles.
Kirsten has blogged for the Mental Elf since 2013 and is a displaced Scot; part geek, part Christmas fanatic, part elf and National Patient Safety & Care Award winner. She is passionate about learning and development; bringing Psychiatry to the masses. Listening to people is her superpower; ensuring there is holistic patient care across all mental health diagnoses and that trauma and neurodiversity are identified and considered appropriately.
Connect with Kirsten on LinkedIn.
Douglas Badenoch: Co-Founder & Senior Evidence Advisor
Douglas is an information scientist with an interest in making knowledge from systematic research more accessible to people who need it. This means you.
He’s been attempting this in the area of Evidence-Based Health Care since 1995. So far the results have been mixed. For some reason we expected busy clinicians to search databases and appraise papers instead of seeing patients. We also expected publishers to make the research freely available to the people who paid for it.. Ha! Hence The National Elf service.
Connect with Douglas on LinkedIn.
Section editors
Dr Dafni Katsampa: Section Editor
Dafni is a Clinical Psychologist. She holds a BSc in Psychology and an MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences from UCL. Prior to clinical training, Dafni worked at Samaritans – Online Harms and led research to understand the impact of self-harm and suicide online content on young people. Dafni is interested in human rights and social justice, forced and voluntary migration, the impact of trauma and trauma-focused practice, social determinants and health inequalities, and LGBTQ+.
Dafni is responsible for our blogs on Addictions and Substance Dependence, Climate Change, Global Mental Health, Loneliness, Migration and Refugee Mental Health, Minorities and Health Inequalities, and Psychotherapies.
Connect with Dafni on LinkedIn and ResearchGate. View Dafni’s Mental Elf blogs here.
Dr Laura Hemming: Section Editor
Laura completed her PhD at the University of Manchester investigating how difficulties with identifying and describing emotions are related to suicide and violence amongst male prisoners. Laura’s research areas of interest include forensic mental health, suicide prevention and qualitative research methods. Laura has always had a strong interest in patient and public involvement and engagement in research.
Laura is responsible for our blogs on Perinatal mental health; Women’s Mental Health; Trauma, Violence, Abuse & Forensic Mental Health; Suicide & Self-harm; Physical health, Multimorbidity and Physical activity; Social determinants, Inequalities, Loneliness and Workplace MH.
Connect with Laura on LinkedIn. View Laura’s Mental Elf blogs here
Dr Nina Higson-Sweeney: Section Editor
Nina is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford. She completed her PhD in 2024, which focused on using mixed methods to further our understanding of fatigue as a symptom of adolescent depression. Nina’s current research interests include youth mental health (particularly depression, anxiety, and OCD), the use of coproduction and lived experience input within research, mental health in minoritised groups, and Open Science.
Nina is responsible for our blogs on: Anxiety, Depression, Eating Disorders, OCD & Related Disorders, and Youth Mental Health.
Follow Nina on Bluesky (@nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social) and view her Mental Elf blogs here.
Section editors
Dr Éimear Foley – Section Editor
Éimear is a Senior Research Associate based at the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol. She completed her PhD in 2024. Her research makes use of epidemiological cohort studies, genetic analysis, and experimental medicine approaches to further our understanding of the role of inflammation in psychiatric conditions and cognitive function. She has a background in the fields of immunopsychiatry, psychology, cognitive and clinical neuroscience, and neuropsychology.
Éimear is responsible for our blogs on biological psychiatry, molecular psychiatry, and genetics.
Connect with Éimear on LinkedIn and Bluesky and View Éimear’s Mental Elf blogs here.
Dr Simon Bradstreet: Section Editor
Simon is a freelance consultant supporting research and learning in health and social care. He brings experience from a variety of roles and settings including evaluation consultancy, clinical trial management and digital health and care education. He was founding Director of the Scottish Recovery Network and retains a keen interest in the development and research of recovery, peer support and lived experience approaches in mental health. Simon has contributed to an extensive range of academic publications and his doctorate focused on the internalisation of mental health stigma.
Simon is responsible for our blogs on: Secondary care (including inpatient and crisis care), Physical activity, Psychosis, Bipolar disorder, Complex emotional needs (including ‘personality disorders’)
Connect with Simon on LinkedIn see his ORCID account, and view his Mental Elf blogs here.