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Dr Paul Watson

Associate Professor

School: Healthcare and Nursing Sciences

Dr Paul Watson is currently Assistant Director of the Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research (Military connected Children and Young People) and Assistant Professor in Nursing (Children and Young People) & Specialist Community Public Health Nursing. 

 

On leaving the Armed Forces, Paul completed a BSc in Mental Health nursing, specialising in children’s mental health nursing in 2013. Paul then went on to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (School Nurse) in 2014. Paul was appointed the school nurse for Catterick Military Garrison. On leaving clinical practice Paul went into higher education. Paul has a growing portfolio of research on the emotional health and wellbeing of Military connected children and young people, PTSD and social isolation and loneliness in the veteran population, military connected suicide, and is an expert in narrative methodologies. Moreover, Dr Watson completed his PhD in 2022, titled: The experiences of being a young carer of a veteran parent with PTSD: A narrative enquiry.  

 

Paul Watson

As Principle Investigator, Paul has undertaken international research in Denmark looking at the mental well-being of Danish Military Children. This initital work with the Danish military charity SSOP,  generated a 4-year project, which is now underway to explore the impact of SSOP’s interventions on the well-being of military children.

  • Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
  • Applying a Public Health Lens to Co-production with the Military Connected Community, Watson, P., Senior, E., Hyde, R., Telford, M. 10 Nov 2025, Public Involvement and Community Engagement in Applied Health and Social Care Research , Leeds, Emerald Publishing
  • Being a military child in Denmark: Young people’s experiences of living with a parent with PTSD, Watson, P., Osborne, A. 8 Jan 2025, In: PLoS Mental Health
  • Challenges to School Success Among Children in U.S. Military Families, Soto, M., Crouch, E., Odahowski, C., Boswell, E., Brown, M., Watson, P. 30 Jun 2025, In: Military Medicine
  • Community asset mapping: An ethical, strength-based approach to co-production and inclusion, Hall, K., Lochhead, L., Alderson, H., Lhussier, M., McGovern, R., Sattar, Z., Watson, P., McGovern, W. 10 Nov 2025, Public Involvement and Community Engagement in Applied Health and Social Care Research, Leeds, Emerald
  • Community Asset Mapping: Promoting Inclusion and Equity and Countering Stigma in Applied Substance Use Research, McGovern, W., Shrimpton, L., Alderson, H., Hall, K., Lhussier, M., Sattar, Z., Watson, P., McGovern, R. 28 Sep 2025, In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
  • Letting stories breathe: Identifying adverse and benevolent childhood experiences in the stories of Military-Connected Children and Young People, Watson, P., Camara, C., Cairns, R., Bramwell, S., Soto, M., Crouch, E. 3 Dec 2025, In: PLOS Global Public Health
  • One is Too Many: Implementing a suicide reduction workforce initiative, Senior, E., Watson, P. 14 Feb 2025, Veterans’ Mental Health Conference 2025
  • Substance use support for military veterans in Newcastle upon Tyne: Learning from veterans, family members and professionals, Graham, P., Mason, C., McGovern, W., Watson, P. Mar 2025
  • Chronic headaches after traumatic brain injury: Diagnostic complexity associated with increased cost, McGeary, D., Swan, A., Kennedy, E., Dismuke-Greer, C., McGeary, C., Sico, J., Amuan, M., Manhapra, A., Bouldin, E., Watson, P., Kenney, K., Myers, M., Werner, J., Mitchell, J., Carlson, K., Delgado, R., Esmaeili, A., Pugh, M. 6 Nov 2024, In: NeuroRehabilitation
  • One is too Many: A Conceptual Framework for Safety Planning within Service Delivery for Veterans and their Families, Kiernan, M., McGill, G., Watson, P., Farrell, D., Oxburgh, G., Arnfield, J., Rebair, A., Knibbs, L., Allen, S., Gettings, R., Senior, E. 20 Mar 2024

  • Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
  • Substance Misuse Support for Military Veterans in Newcastle, Graham, P. (Principal Investigator), Watson, P. (Co Investigator), Newcastle City Council, 02/09/24 - 31/03/25, £25,000.00
  • 'Military Children' Promote, Protect, Prevent, Watson, P. (Principal Investigator), Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, 01/09/24 - 31/08/25, £124,899.00
  • Relationships among Adverse Childhood Experiences, Benevolent and Positive Childhood Experiences of Military Connected Children and Young People., Watson, P. (Principal Investigator), Forces Children’s Trust, 01/09/24 - 28/02/26, £35,487.00
  • Developing the OiTM dissemination workshop, Senior, E. (Principal Investigator), Watson, P. (Co Investigator), The Baton, 01/04/24 - 31/03/25, £18,000.00
  • Developing a Common Assessment Tool, Watson, P. (Principal Investigator), The Royal Marines Charity, 01/01/24 - 31/12/24, £29,438.00
  • Exploring Non-clinical Drug and Alcohol harm and service access experiences of British South Asian youth, Sattar, Z. (Principal Investigator), Watson, P. (Co Investigator), Newcastle City Council, 01/04/23 - 31/03/24, £24,211.00
  • Community Asset Mapping the Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Services, Organisations and Recovery Groups in the Newcastle Area, McGovern, W. (Principal Investigator), Watson, P. (Co Investigator), Newcastle City Council, 01/02/23 - 31/01/24, £49,971.00
  • Evaluation of the Families SPOC, McGill, G. (Principal Investigator), Watson, P. (Co Investigator), NHS England, 01/12/22 - 30/11/23, £8,000.00
  • Veteran suicide: Understand-Identify-Prevent, Kiernan, M. (Principal Investigator), Watson, P. (Co Investigator), Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, 01/07/21 - 30/06/23, £205,405.00
  • Wellbeing and life quality of military connected families, Watson, P. (Principal Investigator), Stot Soldater & Parorende, 01/08/20 - 31/03/24, £47,386.00

  • Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
  • Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: SCiP Alliance Conference - Whole Person Whole Journey 2025 2025
  • Invited talk: Young Carers: A Global View 2025
  • Oral presentation: Co-Production with Children and Young People 2025
  • Invited talk: KCMHR–CIMVHR International Roundtable 2025
  • Invited talk: Military Children's Mental Health and Well-being 2025
  • Invited talk: Elizabeth Dole Foundation 10th Annual Convening on Military and Veteran Caregiving 2025
  • Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: Forces Children's Rights Charter 2025
  • Oral presentation: Military Children: Promote, Protect, Prevent 2025
  • Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Rhetoric and Reality: Developing a Common Assessment Tool (RMA) 2025
  • Organising a conference, workshop, ...: RMA-TRMC-Transformation-Collaboration and Consensus Project 2024

Connor Malcolm Exploring the role of social ties for well-being in adolescent children from serving military families Start Date: 01/03/2024

  • Philosophy PhD June 22 2022
  • Nursing BSc (Hons) September 09 2013
  • PgDip Public Health SCPHN - School Nurse 2013


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