About me
I am a Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster, with an extensive background in health practice and research. My recent work spans a range of subjects related to mental health including eating disorders, psychoactive drug management and dependency, self care and professional well-being initiatives and social prescribing. I have published peer reviewed articles and book chapters in areas of psychology, sociology, complementary health and professional education, including several ethnographic and autoethnographic studies. I am a member of the expert panel for BELSPO (Belgian Federal Science Policy Office). My upcoming book_The Construction of Eating Disorders- Psychiatry, Politics and Cultural Representations of Disordered Eating, is due for release in Spring 2025.
Teaching
Deputy Chair Psychology Research Ethics Committee
MSc Psychology Qualitative Research Methods - Module leader
BSc Psychology Understanding Psychological Diversity- Module leader
PhD supervision: 6 PhDs active, 2 completed
Examination experience:
Internal examiner (3 active, 3 completed)
External examiner
University of Maynooth (2023)
Supervisor for BSc Psych, MSc Psych, MSc Health Psych
Research
2023: Principal Investigator: improving the management of prescription drugs with dependency risks in those exiting the criminal justice system (on-going)
2021: Principal Investigator- Green social prescribing during and post Covid: a UK based study.
2020: Principal Investigator: Pathways and barriers to social prescribing: Co-producing initiatives which address social and health inequalities in urban areas (Community funding).
2018-19: Co-investigator: NHS funded evaluation of a social prescribing scheme in Shropshire.
2019: Co-investigator National Lottery funded social prescribing outcomes project.
2018 - 2019 Co-investigator University of Malaysia funded project on orthorexia nervosa.
2012-15: Principal Investigator: ‘Netography’ of benzodiazepine user stories of withdrawal and recovery, which has been widely read and discussed among stakeholders including those in the BZD virtual community.
2010-2014: Principal Investigator on 2 university based research studies, the first investigating the emotion work of final year students undergoing personal and professional development (PPD) and clinical training (Fixsen and Ridge 2012), and the other a secondary analysis of level 4 and 5 student experiences of this programme (Fixsen et al. 2015).
2013-17 (Doctorate): Ethnographic exploration of staff experiences of Learning and Development programmes.
1995- 1996: Joint Principal Investigator on a randomised trial of homeopathic versus standard care in the treatment of otitis media with effusion in children, later published in two journals.
Publications
For details of all my research outputs, visit my WestminsterResearch profile.