Mersey Care's mental health nurse and academic Dr Oladayo Bifarin has been awarded a coveted place on the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Senior Research Leadership Programme for nursing.

Oladayo, who is the Research Effectiveness Lead for Mersey Care and a Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at Liverpool John Moores University, is one of just 25 nurses and midwives from around the country to secure a place on the fully-funded three year programme.

"It's an honour to be able to work with like-minded colleagues across England in learning and exchanging knowledge about how we take nurses and allied health professionals to the next level, by upskilling them through engagement with various research activities/opportunities," he said.

“I'm grateful for the support I've had from staff across Mersey Care and the Mental Health Innovation for Research Centre (M-RIC), and I am excited about the future. There are huge opportunities for both staff and patients with our new infrastructure for research created through M-RIC. My focus is on capacity building, collaborations, and creating a supportive ecosystem for staff new to research.”

Prof. Joe Rafferty CBE, Mersey Care's Chief Executive Officer, said: “Huge congratulations to Oladayo for this fantastic achievement. He's already making a difference in building a culture of research among colleagues in all professions and I look forward to seeing more of our people getting involved in research because of his leadership – whether patients or staff.”

Trish Bennett, Mersey Care's Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive, said “Oladayo’s recognition has ensured the visibility of Mersey Care - our nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals (NMAHP) community, our researchers of today and tomorrow, and our patients and service users - at a national level.

"We're so proud of what Oladayo has achieved both personally and professionally, acting as a champion for under-represented professions and encouraging clinical curiosity as an agent for change."

Anyone interested in finding out more about Oladayo’s plans to encourage more nurses and allied health professionals into research, can email him at: oladayo.bifarin@merseycare.nhs.uk.