Dr Gemma Wilson-Menzfeld

Associate Professor

School: Healthcare and Nursing Sciences

Gemma Wilson-Menzfeld is a Health Psychologist and Associate Professor in Ageing and Digital Living. Dr Wilson-Menzfeld completed her PhD, which was funded by the Medical Research Council, in 2014 at Teesside University. Prior to her role as a Senior Lecturer, Gemma held the position of Vice Chancellor’s Research Fellow in Applied Health and then subsequntly Vice Chancellor’s Senior Fellow in Applied Health, both at Northumbria University.

Dr Wilson-Menzfeld’s research focuses on Ageing and Psychosocial wellbeing, specifically in the areas of social isolation and loneliness and digital exclusion. Her methodological expertise lies in qualitative and mixed methods, as well as expertise in visual research methods.

Gemma is part of the Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families’ Research at Northumbria University, and she leads the Ageing Veterans and Military Families’ research theme within the hub.

Dr Wilson-Menzfeld has extensive experience of leading research and has worked with multiple partners from academic settings, third sector settings, and SMEs. She is also an experienced academic supervisor and mentor.

Campus Address

Coach Lane Campus West
Room D202

Email Gemma

@gemwil22

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Dr Wilson-Menzfeld is a Chartered Health Psychologist and Associate Professor in Ageing and Digital Living at Northumbria University, UK. Dr Wilson-Menzfeld's academic interests include: Ageing and psycho-social well-being, digital inclusion, social participation, and digital health.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
216 Evaluation of the Keep On Keep Up (KOKU) programme for people with Parkinson’s, Das, J., Baker, K., Wilson-Menzfeld, G., Walker, R., Morris, R., Stuart, S., Rochester, L., Yarnall, A., Stanmore, E., Barry, G. 27 Mar 2025, In: Physiotherapy
Communication experiences of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Patients during healthcare access and consultation: A systematic narrative review, Wilson-Menzfeld, G., Gates, J., Jackson-Corbett, C., Erfani, G. 29 Apr 2025, In: Health and Social Care in the Community
Identifying and understanding digital exclusion: A mixed-methods study, Wilson-Menzfeld, G., Erfani, G., Young-Murphy, L., Charlton, W., De Luca, H., Brittain, K., Steven, A. 9 May 2025, In: Behaviour and Information Technology
Living with a loved one’s mental health issue: Recognizing the Lived Experiences of Military Spouses, Senior, E., Clarke, A., Wilson-Menzfeld, G. 7 Nov 2025, In: PLoS One
Supporting Older Men’s Social Participation: A Framework for Engagement, Cowen, K., Collins, T., Carr, S., Wilson-Menzfeld, G. 1 Mar 2025, In: The Journal of Men's Studies
Understanding the complex health and social care needs of ageing veterans: A systematic narrative review, Johnson, A., Greaves, J., Patterson, L., Brettell, J., Kiernan, M., Wilson-Menzfeld, G. 2 Nov 2025
“You kind of want the world to stop, and it did”: shared experiences of widowhood during and following Covid-19, Collins, T., Allen, S., Scarbrough-Jelfs, C., Klidzia, S., Lai, F., Wilson-Menzfeld, G. 18 Dec 2025, In: Death Studies
Facilitating Domestic and Civic-Style Activity in the Later Life of Army Veterans: The Influencing Culture of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, Cullen, H., Osborne, A., Kiernan, M., Wilson-Menzfeld, G. 15 Sep 2024, In: Geriatrics
Military Widows’ Experiences of Social Isolation, Loneliness and Unmet Social Needs, Wilson-Menzfeld, G., McGill, G., Moreland, M., Collins, T., Erfani, G., Johnson, A. 16 Nov 2024, In: Journal of Loss and Trauma
The Role of Occupational Therapy in Community Development to combat social isolation and loneliness, Cowen, K., Collins, T., Carr, S., Wilson-Menzfeld, G. 1 Jul 2024, In: British Journal of Occupational Therapy

Current and Recent Projects

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Reducing loneliness in veterans who have been treated for PTSD, Kiernan, M. (Principal Investigator), Wilson-Menzfeld, G. (Co Investigator), Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, 22/02/21 - 21/02/23, £70,000.00

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Invited talk: Presentation to the House of Lords: Research on Military Bereaved Communities 2023
Other: Do experiences of loneliness differ across the lifespan? 2022

PGR Supervision

Mary Moreland Lost Lives: An exploration of the long-term impact of sudden military death of a parent on children who are now adults Start Date: 22/02/2024
Lucy Patterson Start Date: 01/10/2025