Mr Gary Hodge

I was born, have grown up, and have always lived in Plymouth. In fact I went to school on the same site as the University of Plymouth. I have had an eclectic working career, which includes 5 years in the Royal Navy. I found nursing later in life, after working as a support worker for young adults with learning disabilities, mental health issues, and other identified areas of need. Between 2002-2005 I completed a Diploma (He) in Nursing (Mental Health) at the University of Plymouth. This sparked an interest in learning and self-development which led to a BSc (Hons) in Health Studies, an MSc in Ageing, Mental Health, and Dementia, and most recently (2020) a PhD in Mental Health, which I completed at Lancaster University as a blended learning student. This was all whilst working full time in the NHS. I have been an associate and honorary lecturer with the University of Plymouth since 2016, and started as a full time nursing lecturer (MH) in 2018. 

Teaching interests

I teach across all undergraduate and post graduate nursing programmes.

I am the new (2021) programme lead for the MSc APP Mental Health Practitioner

Research interests

Research Interests:

·    Enhancing independence & supporting people to live well with dementia.

·    Person centred dementia models of care.

·    Supporting care providers to understand and support people experiencing behaviours that challenge (aka BPSD).

·    Older Adult Mental Health, including therapeutic intervention.

·    Understanding suicide and self-harm ideation in older adults and dementia.

·    Autoethnography & Narrative forms of research (storytelling)