Maureen is a Nurse and Integrative Counsellor by background and gained broad practice experience before joining the University in 1997. As a lecturer, Maureen has worked in Mental Health nursing and was the programme lead for the Solution Focus Brief Therapy Masters Programme before taking up the post of Associate Director at the Centre of Excellence in Interdisciplinary Mental Health (CEIMH).
Maureen maintains strong links with practise and has a particular interest in Continuing Professional Development. Maureen is programme lead for the Interdisciplinary Preceptorship Programme which was developed alongside practitioners in the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust to support practitioners during the transition from student to qualified practitioner.
Maureen is a member of the Suresearch Inpatient Care Forum and has worked with them to develop a range of Digital Stories about service user experiences of mental health services to be used in education of health and social care practitioners.
Maureen is in the process of completing a PhD in the IASS exploring the 'Identity of Polish Communty in Birmingham' using qualitative methodology. She is a founding member and secretary of the Midlands Polish Community Association and they have been successful in a bid to the Heritage Lottery 'Collected Memories of the Birmingham Polish' www.mpca.eu which was supported by CEIMH.
Chapters in books
Smojkis M, Nolan P (2004) Experiences in mental health nursing. Chapter in Getting Research into Practice by Clifford, C & Clarke J. Elsevier.
Tummey, R & Smojkis M (2004) Chapter: Primary Mental Health Care: in Planning Care in Mental Health Nursing. Palgrave.
Articles in journals
Spector, R, Smojkis, M, Chilton, L and members of Suresearch, (2011) Service-user involvement in a ward staff training project: Participants' experiences of making digital stories. Clinical Psychology Forum, No. 220.
Nolan, P Smojkis, M (2003) The mental health of nurses in the UK. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, vol.9 374-379.