Exploring the experiences of 'lived ' involved in applied mental health services research: a peer-led study investigating an eme

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Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) is mandatory for many health research funders[1]. It is understood that patients, carers, and the public can help improve research quality, relevance, and make it more equal and ethical to those at its heart[2]. However, we do not currently have the structures, processes, and organizational norms to ensure its optimal functioning. Furthermore, there is a lack of research into the experiences of people working in research in part due to having relevant lived experience of mental distress/neurodiversity to bring to projects, whilst also supporting the involvement of this very knowledge through PPI. The experiences of this 'emerging workforce' within the context of mental health/applied health research is important to understand further as these workers hold a 'dual identity', an in-between or 'liminal' space, that does not fit into researcher, clinician or professional work roles. As an autistic mental health service user working in health research using my lived experience of mental distress, service use and disability as a PPI co-ordinator, I will use my unique position to undertake research from a peer researcher perspective in order to bring to light thechallenges, barriers, and facilitators faced by involvement co-ordinators/staff working from an experiential lens,thereby helping to improve PPI practices, build capacity, and optimize the support for this 'emerging workforce' byinfluencing policies and practice within research.