I am a senior health psychologist who works at the interface between health psychology and occupational health psychology. I am currently a senior lecturer in the Academic Urology Unit, University of Aberdeen, Director of Operations for UCAN (Urological CANcer charity) and hold an honorary contract with NHS Grampian. I am an Honorary Research Fellow, Birkbeck University of London. I am a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and a registered health psychologist (Health & Care Professions Council).

My research is focussed on two areas of applied health psychology: 1) behaviour in relation to long-term conditions and 2) behaviour in relation to long-term conditions and working life. This takes a multi-level approach to the study of psychological wellbeing, health-related behaviour and the design and delivery of care and examines these issues at the level of the individual and the system / organisation.

My research is about understanding the individual within their social, healthcare, and organisational context to improve the design and delivery of care from point of diagnosis onwards. Currently, the focus is on behaviour in relation to a specific long-term condition (urological cancer) but my interest extends to other cancer types or other long-term conditions.

My research programmes and those of my team are currently focused on three distinct aspects of cancer survivorship 1) the design and delivery of care and after care; 2) stakeholder engagement in the design and implementation of care and clinical practice guidelines and 3) the management of work and working life and cancer. This includes the specific information and support needs of those diagnosed with cancer and the development of methods for achieving non-tokenistic stakeholder engagement in the design and delivery of care

This forms the basis of two international collaborations led by myself and colleagues at Aberdeen:

-          METIS – The METIS Collaboration was established in 2011 by Dr Sara MacLennan and Professor Tom Cox CBE. Its focus is the psychological, social and organizational issues that relate to the impact of long-term conditions on work and working lives. Its particular concerns focus on cancer survivorship. The Collaboration currently involves the Academic Urology Unit, and the Aberdeen Breast Clinic, University of Aberdeen; the Centre for Sustainable Working Lives, Birkbeck University of London, the Institute of Health & Society, University of Newcastle, Coronel Institute of Occupational Health, Amsterdam, Surgical Outcomes Research Centre, University of Sydney and Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Australia.

-          Harmonising Urological Cancer Care across Europe - This international collaboration was established in 2016 and includes partners from UK, Italy, Spain and Netherlands representing a consortium of academic (Universities and University Hospitals) and non-academic beneficiaries and partners (the EAU Guidelines Office, Industry and International non-profit patient organisations). The focus is to harmonise urological care across Europe by giving patients evidence-based-best personalised care, to improve health outcomes, to decrease the cost burden of care and to make EU health systems more efficient and equitable. This will be achieved by developing models of involving patients in Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) development; empowering stakeholders to prioritise the outcomes important for determining clinical effectiveness and decision making; ensuring that recommendations from CPGs are implemented consistently across Europe; developing economic models of the costs of adhering/not adhering to CPGs in various health-systems in the EU; creating an innovative network of future leaders and researchers equipped with intersectorial transferable skills; and creating a sustainable model of training and dissemination events for training future leaders in urology and other healthcare specialities.

As a result of my international reputation, I hold experience of being an active member of Research Council funding panels (e.g. MRC Skills Development Panel and ESRC’s Peer Review College), being an active member of executive committees of professional bodies (Division of Health Psychology, British Psychological Society and the British Psychosocial Oncology Society) and professional bodies working parties for policy and practice (BPS Working party on Work and Health), of being an external examiner at postgraduate level (MSc in Health Psychology, University of Westminster and PhD external examiner) and of being a member of an international research think tank (member and lead for decision-making and communication for Prostate Cancer UK’s Survivorship Action Initiative (True NTH™). This is an international initiative involving the UK, Australia and Canada).

I am interested in supervising PhD topics relating to: 1) the design and delivery of care and after care for those diagnosed with a long-term condition; 2) stakeholder engagement in the design and implementation of care and clinical practice guidelines for long-term conditions and 3) the management of work and working life and long-term conditions.