Ronaldo-Raul Szekely
Academic and research departments
Extended Reality Lab, Digital World Research Centre, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.About
My research project
Reducing mental health stigma among healthcare professionals in training using immersive VRHealthcare professionals, as for the general public, frequently hold stigmatising attitudes towards mental illness. This may affect the care and treatment a person with mental health difficulties receives, including treatment for physical problems. It is therefore fundamental to better educate and train healthcare professionals about mental health from the perspective of individuals with lived experience, and, critically, to increase empathy and understanding. Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) offers a novel and innovative possibility to do this by manipulating aspects of reality and providing insight into the experience of individuals living with mental health difficulties. Drawing from the fields of healthcare education, mental health, and digital innovation, my PhD will explore how immersive VR can be deployed to better train healthcare professionals to reduce their stigma of mental illness and improve the care of patients with mental health difficulties. Throughout the research process, emphasis will be placed on co-design by engaging with individuals with lived experience and experts in healthcare education and training.
Supervisors
Healthcare professionals, as for the general public, frequently hold stigmatising attitudes towards mental illness. This may affect the care and treatment a person with mental health difficulties receives, including treatment for physical problems. It is therefore fundamental to better educate and train healthcare professionals about mental health from the perspective of individuals with lived experience, and, critically, to increase empathy and understanding. Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) offers a novel and innovative possibility to do this by manipulating aspects of reality and providing insight into the experience of individuals living with mental health difficulties. Drawing from the fields of healthcare education, mental health, and digital innovation, my PhD will explore how immersive VR can be deployed to better train healthcare professionals to reduce their stigma of mental illness and improve the care of patients with mental health difficulties. Throughout the research process, emphasis will be placed on co-design by engaging with individuals with lived experience and experts in healthcare education and training.
University roles and responsibilities
- Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)
- Academic Tutor
My qualifications
ResearchResearch interests
- Mental Health Stigma
- Healthcare Education, Training, and Practice
- Psychosocial Interventions
- Virtual Reality and Digital Innovations
- Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in Research
Research interests
- Mental Health Stigma
- Healthcare Education, Training, and Practice
- Psychosocial Interventions
- Virtual Reality and Digital Innovations
- Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in Research
Teaching
I support teaching and learning across the following modules:
- Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis (PSY1020/PSYM094)
- Social Psychology with Research Methods (PSY1019)
- Psychology of Global Challenges (PSY1033)
Publications
Highlights
Publications
- Szekely, R., Mason, O., Frohlich, D., & Barley, E. (2023). The use of virtual reality to reduce mental health stigma among healthcare and non-healthcare students: a systematic review. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2023.2232049
- Wranik, W. D., Szekely, R. R., Mayer, S., Hiligsmann, M., & Cheung, K. L. (2021). The most important facilitators and barriers to the use of Health Technology Assessment in Canada: a best–worst scaling approach. Journal of Medical Economics, 24(1), 846-856. https://doi.org/10.1080/13696998.2021.1946326
- Szekely, R. (2020). Humans are social beings, but to what extent? PsychTalk, 1(96), 10-12. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpstalk.2020.1.96.10
Posters & Oral presentations
- Szekely, R., Mason, O., Frohlich, D., & Barley, E. (2023, June 13–14). The use of virtual reality (VR) to reduce mental health stigma among healthcare and non-healthcare students: a systematic review [Poster presentation]. British Psychological Society, Division of Health Psychology Annual Conference 2023 ‘Current challenges and innovative solutions in Health Psychology’, Sheffield, UK.
- Szekely, R. (2023, April 20). Virtual reality (VR) to tackle mental health stigma in healthcare students: Research progress and next steps [Poster presentation]. School of Psychology Research Student Conference 2023, University of Surrey, UK.
- Szekely, R. (2022, May 3). Mental health and well-being among Intensive Care Unit (ICU) staff: An occupational psychology perspective [Oral presentation]. Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre Monthly Learning Hour, London, UK