Dr Stella Botchway (2023, DPhil Psychiatry) is a Clinical Researcher and NIHR Doctoral Fellow. She is currently working in Professor Seena Fazel’s Forensic Psychiatry group at Oxford. Her academic research looks at the healthcare needs of adolescents at risk of self-harm. Dr Botchway has worked with a wide variety of national and international organisations, and writes fiction and non-fiction for academic, professional and general audiences.

Writing as Esi Merleh, Dr Botchway is the author of the Magic Faces series published by UCLan Press. The first book in the series, Heroes of the Pirate Ship, was nominated for the Brilliant Book Award, 2024, and was chosen for the Summer Reading Challenge Book Collection, 2024. As Stella Botchway, she writes fiction for young readers with Oxford University Press. Her most recent titles for the Readerful series include Beyond Aquatica, a picture book to be read aloud by an adult for inspiring reading sessions, and The Adventures of Daisy and Red: Moonbow Rescue, for older, struggling readers.

What attracted you to your field of research?
My research combines my background in public health and paediatrics and my interest in mental health. My research involves the analysis of large datasets, looking at health service use for self-harm in adolescents. The NHS and other public bodies collect so much data but we are still in the early stages of using it to understand how healthcare is used and improving outcomes for patients. I love working across disciplines and I enjoy applying data science to healthcare.

What do you enjoy most about the College and the community at Univ?
Life in College is making me a bolder and braver person. I’m surrounded by people really striving for lives that suit them, both personally and professionally. To my surprise, they’ve all rubbed off on me!

How did you become an author?
Creative writing was something I loved to do when I was young, but I never had much time for it in medical school and when working as a junior doctor. A few years ago I realised that if I wanted to make a go of it, I needed to create that time in the week by any means necessary. I was working as a Public Health Consultant at the time, leading a few busy teams. I used to write early in the morning and in my lunch break – 500 words at a time. Just doing a few paragraphs a day really builds up! Before I knew it, I was back into the swing of things.

I’ve now written six books for children. I love working with my agent, editors and illustrators. The shaping that comes when other people bring their experienced feedback and perspective to a text is just magical. Other people’s opinions on your work challenge you to dig deeper and be more creative. I find that the same is true for my research. My work is so much stronger because of the input from my supervisor, Professor Seena Fazel, and colleagues. Discussion and collaboration is the foundation of good science!

Why are creativity and storytelling important?
To me, creativity and storytelling is essential to the human condition. It’s fundamental to who we are as a species. Stories give voice to people living different experiences. As a human, we can not only live our own story and experience, but we can live each other’s. That’s what makes each and every story told so important.

What authors do you enjoy reading? Any guilty pleasures?
One of my favourite authors is N K Jemisin. Her world building is amazing, and her analysis of human society is chilling. She has a similarity to Octavia Butler, whose work I also enjoy. My guilty pleasure is reading children’s books. Even though I tell myself I’m reading them for my work, it still feels like a guilty pleasure! I recommend adults read children’s fiction even when they don’t have kids in their lives. The very best are rich and beautiful and lift the soul.

Have you faced any challenges in your life that you are happy to share here? If so, how did you cope with them?
I applied for my DPhil when I was pregnant and was offered a place whilst on maternity leave. It was a challenge starting when I had no idea what to expect in terms of undertaking a DPhil with a young child. I was nervous about how it would all fit together. To be honest, it has been difficult. There is never enough time in the day, and in the beginning I was still physically recovering from the birth and juggling breastfeeding. Although I missed out on some things being an older student and a new mother, I gained in other ways. I had a ready-made cheerleading squad at home. I’ve had to learn to be satisfied with the amount I can do at any given time, and leave the rest for later. I’ve also learned to develop a laser-like focus on what is important, and saying “no” to what is not. My proudest accomplishment was signing the College Admissions Register and stating that I was Stella Botchway, daughter of my mother and father, and mother of my daughter.

Is there anyone who has inspired you?
The Master, Baroness Amos has inspired me. Her career history is absolutely jaw dropping. How can one person have achieved so much and broken so many barriers? I’m also inspired by other trailblazers such as Professors Patricia Daley and Patricia Kingori; N K Jemisin, and Shonda Rhimes.

Describe Univ in three words
Home of strivers

Find out more about books by Stella Botchway.

Published: 21 October 2024

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