Having completed all higher-level education at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), I achieved my PhD in the field of Health Psychology in 2007.  My PhD examined the psychological wellbeing of liver transplant recipients.  I started working as a post doctoral researcher in SSESW, QUB in 2008.   Currently, I am a Chartered Psychologist working as a Research Fellow in the Centre for Improving Health-Related Quality of Life (CIHRQoL) in the School of Psychology (QUB), as part of the neurodevelopmental team involved with the All-Island paediatric Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Research Network.

My research areas include vulnerable populations, early childhood development, psychosocial interventions for transplant recipients and those with chronic health conditions.
I have experience in conducting both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques and analyses with vulnerable populations including ‘at risk’ parents presenting with socially complex circumstances, looked-after young people, victims of domestic violence,  complex illness-related mental health needs, those with addiction and substance use issues as well as the neurodevelopmental assessment of children from birth to 5 years.  I have worked across a range of study designs, for example, RCTs, feasibility studies, mixed method pre-post test design with follow-ups, qualitative studies and service evaluations. 
 

Examples of recent work include:

Co-investigator on a study funded by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission called Substance Use Disorders and Service Provision in Northern Ireland  (2022) which aims to provide a comprehensive qualitative analysis of current drug and alcohol service provision in Northern Ireland.

Co-investigator on a BHSCT Charitable Trust Fund (CTF) project called the Evaluation of the Alcohol Related Brain Injury Specialist Residential Rehabilitation Service in Northern Ireland.  This is an 18-month funded project (2021-2022) which aims to determine the effectiveness of an ARBI residential rehabilitation unit for those with alcohol related brain injury.

Researcher on an ESRC funded study (2021-2022) called Reducing Opioid Related Deaths for individuals who are at high risk of death from overdose: A co production study with people housed within prison and hostel accommodation. The aim of this study was to refine the design of a wearable device for opioid users to detect a potential overdose situation and to test the transferability of data from the device to a backend service on the cloud. 

Co-investigator on the 'Evaluation of the Belfast Trust Alcohol Recovery Centre (ARC)' (2016-2018).  The aim of this study was to explore the perceived impact of the working model of the Alcohol Recovery Centre on ARC staff, ED staff, paramedic staff, PSNI staff and patients of the ARC.

Principal Investigator on Cochrane Review, 'Psychosocial Interventions for Liver Transplant Patients’ (2014-present).

Addiction and substance use

Psychosocial interventions for those with chronic health conditions

Evaluation of complex interventions

Developmental assessments

Affiliations

• Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (AFBPsS) 2022-current
• Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) British Psychological Society (BPS) 2008 – Current
• Full Member Division of Health Psychology (BPS) 2022- Current
• Full Member Division of Teachers and Researchers in Psychology (BPS) 2008 – Current
• Full Member Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section (BPS) 2004 – Current
• Full Member of the European Health Psychology Society (EHPS) 2004 - Current
• Member of Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Collaborative (CNOC) 2022 -current
• Member of School Research Committee 2023 - 
• Postdoc Representative, School of Psychology, QUB 2023 -
• Member of the Centre for Improving Health-Related Quality of Life (CIHRQoL) School of Psychology, QUB 2022- current
• Full Member of Drug and Alcohol Research Network (DARN) QUB 2015 – Current
• Member of European Society of Organ Transplantation (ESOT) 2015-Current

External Roles

• Chair of RVH Liver Support Group (RVH LSG) 2017-2019
• Committee Member RVH Liver Support Group (RVH LSG) 2009- current