Rate My Professor Mark Loughhead

Dr Mark Loughhead serves as the inaugural Lecturer in Lived Experience in the School of Nursing and Midwifery within the College of Health at Adelaide University. Holding a PhD, he possesses a robust background in community mental health as an advocate and educator, complemented by extensive involvement in consumer and community engagement. This pioneering position was originally co-funded through a partnership between Mind Australia Ltd and the University of South Australia, where he previously held a comparable role. Eligible to co-supervise Masters and PhD students, Loughhead's career emphasizes the integration of lived experience into academic and professional mental health practice. His professional trajectory underscores a commitment to fostering recovery-oriented, person-centred care, social justice, dignity, empowerment, and the expansion of the peer workforce in mental health settings.

Loughhead's research specializations center on lived experience leadership and inclusion, consumer perspectives on health, personal and socio-cultural views on health, and recovery-based approaches. He actively promotes the recognition and growth of lived experience contributions in research projects. Notable publications include 'Values, qualities and skills for mental health lived experience leadership in systems change in Australia' (2025, Disability & Society), 'Trauma-informed approaches to suicide prevention: a scoping review' (2025, Crisis), 'Distress, Discomfort and Moral Injury: Emergency Department Clinicians Experiences Caring for People With a Psychosocial Disability and a National Disability Insurance Scheme Plan' (2026, International Journal of Mental Health Nursing), 'A model of lived experience leadership for transformative systems change: Advancing Lived Experience Leadership Project (ALEL)' (2023, Leadership in Health Services), 'Pathways for strengthening lived experience leadership for transformative systems change' (2024, Health Expectations), and 'Organisational actions for improving recognition, integration and acceptance of peer support' (2024, Community Mental Health Journal), among others addressing emergency department interactions, safety planning interventions, peer workforce integration, and suicide prevention. Through these works, Loughhead influences mental health systems by advocating for transformative change via lived experience leadership.