Ruth Akindele

Ruth is passionate about research that makes a difference. She is a PhD scholar at the Institute of Health Sciences at the University of Leeds. She is currently doing a MA in Social Research, and she holds an MSc in Psychology Research Methods, and a BSc in Psychology (with an integrated study year abroad). Over the last few years, Ruth’s passions have been around the area of health inequalities, and she is now embarking on a journey of research to strengthen, identify, and evaluate interventions that could strengthen perinatal maternal and mental health systems at multiple levels, for women from racially minoritised background.

Beyond her project, Ruth has worked in both the private and public sectors. Currently, Ruth is an anti-racism advocate within the Clinical Psychology Doctorate at the University of Leeds. Before embarking on her project she took a break from the area of psychology and worked within an accountancy firm as an auditor. To date, Ruth has worked and volunteered in the area of promoting the health and well-being of others, within mental health communities. For example, she had roles such as a Trainee Clinical Associate Psychologist, Therapy Worker, and she was a Counsellor Intern in Kenya. Additionally, due to Ruth’s passion for research, she has had the opportunity to be a honorary Research Assistant at the University of Greenwich and a honorary Research Assistant with the Black male mental health survey project.

She is grateful to be a part of the Stuart Hall Foundation, as she believes that being awarded this scholarship will open doors, and will shed light on the subject area of inequalities in perinatal mental health, and provide a solid foundation for her career path.