Gordon Johnston

Gordon Johnston was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2007, and is active in many voluntary sector mental health organisations. Gordon is a Director of VOX (Voices Of eXperience – Scotland’s national collective advocacy organisation in mental health) and Chair of Bipolar Scotland. Gordon also carries out paid consultancy work for several third sector mental health organisations, mainly in the areas of community engagement, policy development and organisational development.

Gordon is an active peer researcher, and is working on several research projects at present, collaborating with colleagues from various UK universities. He is a Steering Group member of the UKRI funded Closing The Gap Network and a member of the Scottish Government’s Mental Health Research Advisory Group.

He has previously worked in the public and voluntary sectors in areas including community development, managing a local community engagement organisation, coordinating the distribution of National Lottery and European funding, project development in several urban regeneration initiatives in Glasgow and project managing elements of the merger that led to the creation of the Big Lottery Fund.

Gordon is a member of the Mental Health Strategic Delivery Board for Scotland and the Mental Health Quality and Safety Board, He is also a non-executive board member of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland and of NHS Forth Valley.