Nerys initially trained as a Mental Health Nurse and has had a passion for improving mental health and wellbeing and preventing mental health problems throughout her career. Since 2000, she has worked in public health in England and Wales in the NHS, local government and third sector with a focus on promoting mental health and well-being and tackling health inequalities. This has included work on suicide prevention, promoting mental well-being across the life course, tackling stigma, early intervention, and Health Impact Assessment.
Nerys currently works for the Wales Health Impact Assessment Support Unit (WHIASU) in Public Health Wales, and is also an Honorary Lecturer in the School of Medicine in Cardiff University. She is an author of the Mental Well-being Impact Assessment Toolkit (2011) and a number of other HIA publications. Nerys has had both paid and voluntary roles in a number of charities.
In 2018 she was awarded “Trustee of the Year” by the Wales Council for Voluntary Action for her role as Chair of Swansea Community Farm from 2016-19.