Edinburgh Napier University

Biography

I am a Lecturer in Health and Social Care Sciences. I am a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow with the British Psychological Society with expertise in qualitative health services research. I am a member of various BPS associated groups including the Division of Academics, Teachers and Researchers in Psychology; Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section; Division of Health Psychology. I am a member of the International Society of Critical Health Psychology and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

My research interests and expertise are as a Qualitative Health Services Researcher across three programmes of research underpinned by revealing marginalised voices:
1) experiences of cancer;
2) professional role identities and service evaluations and;
3) I lead on vaccine confidence/hesitancy

I worked as a postdoctoral research fellow for 5 years at ENU in cancer and public health where I developed my own interests/expertise in vaccine uptake and confidence/hesitancy on a range of childhood vaccine e.g. for MMR, HPV, H1N1 and now for COVID-19 amongst Health & Social Care professionals. I worked as a research assistant for QMU and taught widely in psychology. I have previously worked as a psychology research assistant in the NHS on a range of research projects. I have been involved in service evaluation and consultancy for the NHS and charitable sector (Attention Fife, Macmillan Cancer Support).

I have 15 years' experience of working in Higher Education and have taught widely across undergraduate and postgraduate provision for Inter-professional education including Allied Health Professionals; Psychology; all branches of Nursing; and Business students. Underpinning this teaching is applied health including qualitative heath services research; applied psychology for public health and policy. I have taught at ENU, Queen Margaret University and the Open University.

Since 2019, I worked as the School Research Degrees Lead for over 50 research degrees students in the SHSC and lead and the development and monitor overall progress- for students and provide support for supervisors.

I have presented widely at national and international conferences. I am active in pursuing research funding and in publishing in peer-reviewed journals.

I have supervised doctoral students at PhD level for patient and carers experiences of rare cancers (two completions) and one nearing completion on vaccine confidence for HPV. I am interested in supervising students on experiences of cancer; professional role identities and services; vaccine confidence/hesitancy for HPV or COVID-19.