Dr Benjamin Olusola Ajibade is a Registered Nurse, NMC Registered Teacher, and Assistant Professor in Mental Health Nursing at Northumbria University. He is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and has extensive experience in mental health and nurse education across national and international contexts.

His academic work focuses on advancing inclusive and culturally responsive mental health and social care, with particular emphasis on addressing health inequalities experienced by racially minoritised communities. His research explores access to care, decision-making, workforce experiences, and the development of inclusive care approaches within health and social care systems.

Benjamin’s work has contributed to national discussions on nursing practice and inclusive care, including research cited by the Royal College of Nursing. He is currently developing a programme of research centred on the co-production and evaluation of an Inclusive Care Framework for racially minoritised populations, supported by involvement in NIHR-related research and wider collaborative projects.

Alongside his research, he has a strong track record in educational leadership and innovation. His work in inclusive and decolonised curricula, assessment, and feedback practices has been adopted across institutions and has contributed to enhancing student experience and success, particularly for international and underrepresented students. He has also developed innovative qualitative research approaches, including the use of LEGO® Serious Play® as a data collection method. His work advances the situational application of LEGO® Serious Play®, particularly in exploring the experiences of transitioning students, providing a novel and contextually grounded approach to understanding lived experience within education and healthcare research.

He contributes to the wider academic and professional community through external examining, keynote presentations, and roles such as QAA Reviewer/NMC Visitor. He is actively engaged in collaborative work with NHS and community partners to ensure his research informs practice and policy.

My primary area of research interests are

• Inclusive mental health and social care
• Health inequalities and culturally responsive care
• Racial equity and workforce experiences in healthcare
• Co-production and evaluation of inclusive care frameworks
• Innovative qualitative research methods (including LEGO® Serious Play®)
• Inclusive education, assessment, and feedback practices