Heyr Launches New Research Partnership with Imperial College London to Revolutionise Youth Mental Healthcare

DigitalHealth.London Evidence Generation Bootcamp alumnus company, Heyr, has announced its research partnership with Imperial College London Self-Care Academic Research Unit (SCARU). The collaboration aims to explore the potential of gamification and rewards in promoting mental health check-ins and self-care.

Heyr delivers self-guided therapy and psychoeducation to help young people build mental fitness through machine learning and positive psychology. The app addresses over 30 lifestyle challenges with actionable tips and resources, encouraging daily mental health check-ins with its next generation reward programme.

Their partnership with the Imperial College London Self-Care Academic Research Unit (SCARU), the first university academic unit dedicated specifically to the study of self-care, will focus on how digital solutions can empower young individuals to take control of their own mental health and wellbeing journey by adopting evidence-based self-care practices on a daily basis.

With many NHS mental health services experiencing high demand, there is significant potential for innovative solutions to mitigate these pressures by helping young people manage their own mental health and wellness. By 2030, the global economy is projected to lose approximately £15 trillion through mental health care, meaning the implementation of tools like Heyr can be valuable additions to health systems worldwide.

Dr Austen El-Osta, Director of SCARU at Imperial College London, said: “Heyr stands out with its gamified approach to promoting mental wellbeing. We are excited to support Heyr in their evidence generation journey and to understand how digital solutions could be tailored to meet the needs of specific segments of society and demographics as opposed to having a one-size-fits-all approach. Our evaluation of Heyr’s engaging features will unlock valuable insights on how digital tools could help young people become expert self-carers.”

Kevin Kwong, cofounder of Heyr, said: “Whether you are lucky enough to be able to see a therapist or not, there are so many ways to show up for your mental and emotional wellbeing on a regular basis. We want everyone to have access to quality assured, expert-backed mental health information that they can trust and that feels relatable, relevant and actually doable.” 

Lee McPherson, cofounder of Heyr, said: “At Heyr, we are representing the biggest cultural shift in mental health for the next generation. We look forward to working with the Imperial SCARU team to uncover additional insights and evidence that will help us drive positive behavioural change for millions of young people.”

Heyr is an alumnus of the DigitalHealth.London Evidence Generation Bootcamp programme.

The DigitalHealth.London Evidence Generation Bootcamp is an 8-week programme that provides a unique opportunity for digital health companies to refine their evidence needs and navigate the complexities of evidence generation through expert support.

For more information about the Evidence Generation Bootcamp, visit: https://digitalhealth.london/programmes/generator/evidence-generation-bootcamp-faqs