Mike has longstanding research interests and expertise spanning, adult social care, mental health, dementia, homelessness and acquired brain injuries – and the interactions across these fields. Crosscutting these, he is also interested in inequalities in care, integration of care, understanding complex, relational and system perspectives on implementation, and coproduction and citizen science approaches to spanning the society-science interface.

Mike has been Research Programme Manager for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Social Care Research (SSCR). Through this work he demonstrated his ability to develop complex programmes of research and capacity development work – helping make SSCR a recognised international leader in social care research. He has a long history of developing successful policy-practice-research interactions to improve health and care services.

Mike has been developing the field of Mental Health Social Care (MHSC), building exciting partnerships with practice and policy to develop a stronger and higher profile for MHSC. This has particularly been through a flourishing partnership with the Association of Mental Health Providers and its networks, especially its strong membership body of third sector organisations working in MHSC. Mike is co-leading the NIHR-funded national MHSC Research Incubator – building research capacity in MHSC working with many organisations and individuals who were previously far removed from the world of research.

Mike has extensive experience as a member of many advisory groups and networks. He is currently a Board member for ENMESH (the leading international research network for mental health services research), Research in Practice (a leading body for developing evidence-informed practice in social care), DECIPHer: Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement, and the Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre. He has been a member of research commissioning panels for major funders, and is a member of the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme’s Social Care Prioritisation Panel.

Mike is the Managing Editor of the Journal of Long-Term Care, a post he has had since the journal was founded and where he has worked to make it a leading journal in its field.

More information on Mike’s research projects and papers can be seen at his LSE CPEC profile page.