An Oxford Brookes University student has won a national research award after working on a clinical trial in Oxfordshire.

Cynthia Okoli moved to the UK from Nigeria to study business administration but switched to an MSc in mental health nursing after working as a part-time support worker on mental health wards.

She said: "I arrived in the United Kingdom in 2019 as an international student and pursued an MBA programme at the University of South Wales."

She spent 18 months completing the programme, during which time she met a group of nurses who influenced her career choice.

Ms Okoli said: "In Nigeria there is little provision for mental health and still a stigma around it."

Working closely with patients while part-time on mental health wards swayed her towards nursing.

She undertook a Mental Health Student Hybrid (MESH) placement at Oxford’s Warneford hospital.

MESH offers nursing students research experience alongside their clinical placements.

Her research focused on using ketamine as a treatment for severe depression.

Ms Okoli won the 'Most Engaged MESH Student' national award for her clinical trial work.

She said: "We were doing research into ketamine, how it works with depression and how patients react to it.

"I was involved in screening potential participants for the research and was involved fully in all of the research processes."

She will now attend the Student Nursing Times Awards ceremony in London on April 26.