DrTrudy Meehan

I have a strong background in an international setting across a range of clinical, senior administrative and academic roles. I have a creative and innovative mind. I am always curious and keen to collaborate, advise and support others. My clinical background and roles as a Director have given me good judgment, respect for professional boundaries and competencies, and an ability to lead by bringing out the best in others. I can calmly assess, manage and respond to risk without adversely limiting creative potential or agility.

- Senior Clinical Psychologist
- Lecturer and Researcher
- PhD Supervisor
- Academic Director
- Clinical Director

I was the Academic Director of Stanford University's Bing Overseas Study Program in Cape Town, South Africa. The centre in Cape Town was one of 14 Stanford University overseas sites facilitating cultural exchange and learning abroad opportunities while maintaining the highest academic standards expected at Stanford's home campus in Palo Alto, California. I designed and directed the evolution of Stanford in Cape Town's engaged learning curriculum and internships.

I was the Clinical Director at Crisis Text Line Ireland, 50808. As a health tech startup, we pioneered text help services in Ireland and developed clinical governance and safety protocols working closely with partners, especially The National Ambulance Service.

I have over 21 years of experience as a clinician in the Irish Health Service. I have been a Senior Clinical Psychologist in the older adult psychiatry teams in both St James' Hospital and St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin, where I developed expertise as a neuropsychologist in the assessment of cognitive impairment and dementia. My last clinical appointment was as a Senior Clinical Psychologist specialising in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

I am currently a Lecturer and researcher at the Centre for Positive Health Sciences where I research creative health, art, and identity. Since 2019 the World Health Organisation has stated assessing the value of arts interventions in specific health goals. Their research indicates that art making and beholding art objects can positively impact on individual health and the wellbeing of those in healthcare and caregiving roles within the home.

I am a visual artist and creative writer who has curated and exhibited visual art at the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa. I led an art studio and research project in collaboration with the late Mark Hipper from the School of Fine Art at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. As part of this work, I conceptualised and curated an exhibition of the work of artists who were long-term patients in a forensic psychiatric hospital. I have collaborated with the Drama Department at Rhodes University in co-creating a performance about trauma and community for the National Arts Festival. I have trained in Forum Theatre with Julian Boal and continue to develop my work in this area. Building on the goals of the WHO European Collaborating Centre for Arts and Health and my background in the arts I am engaged in a number of arts-based research projects.

I have supervised a PhD on the value of art in the context of mental health and I am currently supervising a Professional Doctorate looking at the value of arts-based methods to elicit narratives about wellbeing from adolescents.