After completing a BSc degree in Mathematics and Psychology at Lancashire Polytechnic, Elizabeth went on to train as a Registered Mental Nurse (RMN) at Prestwich Hospital in Salford, UK and qualified in 1989. She has worked in a variety of mental health settings such as dementia and acute mental health care for both younger and older people. She has also worked as a research nurse and a lecturer practitioner. She has achieved a Masters degree in Nursing from the University of Manchester, with a dissertation focused on the use of counselling skills with people diagnosed with dementia. She also graduated with a PhD from Salford University in 2012 with a thesis entitled: A biographical narrative study exploring mental ill health through the life course. She is currently employed as a Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at the University of Derby and remains involved undergraduate, post graduate and doctoral programmes. Her main research and educational interests are: mental health and ill health in later life, recovery, evidence based practice, ageing and mental ill health, ageism and dementia.