At Worcester, you’ll find a dedicated team of professionals ready to offer support with whatever life deals you.
We understand that university life can be stressful and that you might be facing other challenges in your personal life. Whether you need additional specialist support or just want someone to chat to, we’re here to listen. We strive to create an environment where everyone feels welcome, respected, and able to thrive. We offer multiple sources of confidential help within College, as well as being able to direct you to external services provided by the University or offered within Oxford.
MEET OUR WELFARE TEAM
Fellow & Tutor in Psychology and Dean
Dr Paul Azzopardi
Dr Paul Azzopardi
Fellow & Tutor in Psychology and Dean
Lecturer, Department of Experimental Psychology
Education
MA (Oxford), PhD (Victoria University of Manchester)
Dr Azzopardi’s research field is the neural basis of visual perception and conscious awareness, and his interests include cortical magnification factors, face perception, motion perception, the neural basis of blindsight, mechanisms underlying perceptual decisions, and disorders of conscious awareness such as found in patients with blindsight and visual neglect.
Head of Student Welfare & Safeguarding Lead
Georgina Heywood
Georgina Heywood
Head of Student Welfare & Safeguarding Lead
Disability Lead & Coordinator
Wilkinson Junior Research Fellow & Assistant Dean
Dr Neva Kandzija
Dr Neva Kandzija
Wilkinson Junior Research Fellow & Assistant Dean
College Nurse
Jo Bowd
Jo Bowd
College Nurse
Book an appointment with the College Nurse
- In life-threatening emergencies please dial 999 immediately, then contact the Lodge (01865 278300)
- In other emergencies, get in touch with the Lodge (01865 278300)
- During the week in office hours, for welfare requests, contact the Welfare Officer: welfare@worc.ox.ac.uk
- During the week in office hours, for academic requests, contact the Academic Administrator: academic.administrator@worc.ox.ac.uk
- Out of hours (7pm-7am), request the Duty Dean via the Lodge (01865 278300)
Chaplain
The Revd Marcus Green
The Revd Marcus Green
Chaplain
Originally from Lancashire, the Revd Marcus Green arrived in Oxford as a student in the mid-80s and read History at Merton and Theology at Wycliffe Hall, before being ordained into the Church in Wales. As far as he knows, he was the first member of his family ever to go to university or get ordained.
He is passionate about worship in the Christian community, particularly music in worship, and has led choirs, orchestras, contemporary worship groups and even jazz bands in different church settings. His first book, Salvation’s Song, is a theology of the cross as worship.
More recently, both nationally and especially within Oxford Diocese, Marcus has been a prominent voice calling for LGBTQ+ equality within the Church. Simply put, he believes that every person is equal and equally loved by God. His second book, The Possibility of Difference, a biblical affirmation of such inclusion, is published by Kevin Mayhew.
Marcus shares his house with a large and (too) friendly Springer Spaniel called Harry, skis badly, is part of the Red half of Manchester, loves opera, runs a community swing band, once won The Weakest Link, and has been known to go to Italy just for the ice cream.
Your wellbeing
At Worcester there’s always someone who can help, from an on-site nurse and a dedicated counsellor, to an entire pastoral welfare team.
Georgina Heywood, our Head of Student Welfare, offers support and guidance on a wide range of wellbeing issues, as well as being the College’s Disability Lead. She works closely with Dr Paul Azzopardi, the Dean, an academic tutor who has overall responsibility for student welfare at Worcester.
Georgie and Paul are supported by our Assistant Dean and Junior Deans – graduate students who live on-site and are available to offer help with emergencies or just a supportive listening ear out of office hours during term time. In addition, Marcus the Chaplain welcomes conversations from any student who wants to chat things through, regardless of your religious affiliation or experience. Marcus is available to everyone in College and especially supports faith-based activities including use of the Multi-Faith Prayer Room.
Your health
It’s important to keep on top of your health while you’re away from home, and our in-College team is here to support you.
Jo Bowd, our College Nurse, holds regular surgeries both in College and online, offering an easy first port of call for any medical queries. She works closely with our College GPs at Northgate Health Centre, who have plenty of experience with student health matters. While Jo is a professional mental health nurse, we also benefit from a College Counsellor and can help you access additional support from the University Counselling Service. You’ll also be able to benefit from the confidential and free-to-access health and welfare services provided by the University of Oxford, Oxford SU, and local charities.
Peer supporters
Our students’ unions (JCR for undergraduates and MCR for graduates) are a welcoming bunch. When you start at Worcester they’ll help pair you up with ‘college parents’ – older students who know the ropes and can offer you advice to help you settle in. Then there’s our team of peer supporters and welfare reps: students who’ve been trained in active listening and are available if you want to chat in a less formal setting. The welfare reps also coordinate events throughout term, from informal teas and mindfulness sessions, to alpaca visits and dog petting during stressful exam periods.
We put inclusivity at the heart of College life. Both the JCR and MCR elect student reps who reflect the diversity of Worcester, including reps to represent LGBTQ+ students and those from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds. Reps are available to support you and introduce you to other people who share your experiences in Oxford. There are also a wide range of societies across the University to help you share issues, meet other people, and feel at home in Oxford.
Current Worcester student?
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