About the Expert by Experience (EbE) Board
The Expert by Experience Board was established as part of the environMENTAL project in direct response to the recommendations from the project’s Consensus Conference held between June and December 2023. The Board brings together individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges to contribute their unique insights to the project’s design, delivery, and dissemination. The EbE Board ensures that the voices of those most affected by mental health issues are meaningfully included in shaping research priorities, evaluating outcomes, and promoting responsible and inclusive research and innovation.
Expert by Experience Board Members
Hannah Abdalla
Hannah Abdalla is a research analyst and assistant project lead with a Master’s in Health Policy, Planning, and Financing. She works to address health and educational inequalities through evidence-based policy development and advocacy. With a particular focus on young people’s mental health and education, her efforts aim to improve outcomes for underserved communities. Hannah is a strong advocate for the inclusion of lived experiences in shaping policies and services, promoting the integration of digital health interventions and culturally sensitive mental health services. Her work aligns with global priorities such as Sustainable Development Goals 3 & 4, with a commitment to enhancing well-being and ensuring equitable access to services.
Elena Cravero
My name is Elena, and I am a behavioral biologist with a long-standing interest in the natural environment and the social and psychological well-being of people. I specialize in the analysis of biosignals in relation to environmental contexts.
Halvor Stokke Devor
Expert by experience. EbE board of NORMENT. User representative in local inter-municipal cooperative health politics. Guidance counselor at Samhandlingsskolen – a school for experts by experience in healthcare. Psychiatric healthcare worker. Bachelors student of psychological healthcare
John Halliwell
John is passionate about using his lived experience of poor mental health to contribute to improving research processes, findings and outcomes. He has worked as a lived experience contributor across multiple research projects from the human side of digital health infrastructure to supporting patients to come off anti-depressants. Professionally he works as an impact development practitioner and managed in higher education, working with the academic community and external partners to realise societal impact from research.
Kate Hawley
Kate Hawley lives in Newcastle, UK, with her American husband, Scott, and their two young children. Her journey into patient and public involvement was driven by a deeply personal loss—her best friend passed away in her early thirties from a rare form of mouth cancer, leaving behind two preschool-aged children. During her illness, Kate’s friend lost the ability to speak, making Kate’s role in amplifying the patient ‘voice’ even more meaningful. Now an experienced advocate, Kate serves on multiple NIHR panels, assessing PPIE contributions to funding applications, and is actively involved in Patient Advisory Groups for Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation, NICE, NHS England, and Great Ormond Street Hospital. She was recently elected as a Governor for Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust. Beyond her advocacy work, Kate is a senior manager at the Forestry Commission, overseeing government grants for woodland creation and management across Northumberland and Yorkshire. Her involvement in the EnvironMENTAL project aligns perfectly with her passion for both healthcare and the environment.
Stephania Lamble
I am an interdisciplinary professional with expertise in tourism, business administration, property management, and international studies. Driven by a passion for learning through travel and cultural exchange, I thrive in both independent and collaborative settings. My experience as a Freelance Tour Guide and Business Owner has honed my communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills. Fluent in English and Spanish, I bring a unique perspective on mental well-being through my lived experience with neurodivergence and gender fluidity, diverse ethnic background, and dual nationality. I am dedicated to researching environmental challenges and their impact on mental health, striving to develop inclusive, supportive and healing environments tapping into, if possible, touristical assets and sustainable practices.
Sarah Markham
As both a sufferer of recurrent depressive disorder and a mathematician, I am deeply interested in developing better understanding of how mental health can be impacted by the environment and how this knowledge can be deployed to advance mental health equalities.
