IMRY: The Institute of Mental Health Research at York
The Institute of Mental Health Research epitomises our determination here at the University of York to bring together ambitious, enquiring academics and students with partners working at the forefront of mental health.
The experiences and insights of service users, frontline professionals, policy makers and the public inspire what we do and are at the heart of our work.
![]()
Our vision is to enhance the lives of all people affected by mental health problems, and to reduce the risk and impact of difficulties and disabilities linked to mental health. We do this by sharing the expertise and insights of people from different disciplines and with a wide range of life experiences.
Professor Lina Gega, Director, the Institute of Mental Health Research at York.
The launch
We launched the Institute of Mental Health Research at York (IMRY) in October 2022. The Institute embraces University staff, students, alumni, donors and affiliates, who have ‘mental health’ as a common ground in their work.
We also bring together external partners and beneficiaries who have a vested interest in mental health, including the NHS and social care; education and academia; the justice system; the industry and business sector; charitable/voluntary organisations; communities and the general public.
Supporting Children and Young People's Wellbeing and mental health
A new MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) has launched to enable people to learn how to support the mental health of children and young people with skills that build emotional resilience and long-term well-being.
This has been funded by the RCN Foundation and is a joint project between the Departments of Health Sciences and Psychology at the University of York.
It is designed to support anyone who works with children and focuses on things such as practical ideas to support having conversations, where to go for help as well as much more.

Key events
.jpg)
IMRY co-hosted key events that brought together colleagues from across the University, plus external partners, to explore different disciplinary themes and areas in mental health research including: law, education, the natural environment, health economics, the arts and humanities, and biomedicine and neuroscience.