Our Team

​VAMHN is led by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in violence, abuse and mental health research, evaluation science, participatory methods and policy engagement. Together, we advance rigorous, survivor-informed evidence to strengthen systems and improve long-term wellbeing.

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Professor Sian Oram

Director

Head of King’s Women’s Mental Health and Professor of Trauma and Recovery at King’s College London. Her research focuses on interpersonal trauma, coercive control and survivor-informed evaluation and participatory methods.

Dr Sharli Paphitis

Co-Director

Leads participatory research addressing violence, abuse and modern slavery, with a focus on epistemic justice and survivor-informed approaches.

Lisa Ward (she/her)

Lived Experience Lead

Lived experience consultant and former CEO of Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse & Rape Crisis Centre, bringing leadership expertise to governance and co-production.

Flavia Bertini

Network Administrator

Provides operational coordination and administrative leadership across VAMHN’s programmes, partnerships and events, ensuring effective delivery and cross-sector collaboration.

Diza D'Silva (she/her)

Research Assistant

Supports research examining the mental health impacts of violence and abuse and the development of effective interventions.