Debbie is currently employed as a Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology (Division of Psychology and Mental Health, School of Health Sciences) and is a Practitioner Psychologist (Health Psychologist).

She leads the Psychology and Pregnancy Research group.

Debbie is the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Doctoral Academy academic led for postgraduate experience.

Debbie worked at The University of Manchester between 2009 and 2017, in this time she was the project coordinator of a programme of work focusing on maternal obesity in the School of Midwifery, Nursing and Social Work (funded by the Department of Health and Department for Education in collaboration with Tommys baby charity). Between 2017-2020, she left Manchester to work at Leeds Trinity University as a Senior Lecturer in Psychology. Debbie returned to Manchester University in 2020 as a Lecturer and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2023.

Debbie is a Senior Lecturer in health psychology and Health Psychologist. She also acts as a Stage 2 Health Psychology supervisor, including for the pilot NHS stage two training route. If you are interested in studying for a PhD on the topic of reproductive or sexual health or stage 2 training, please contact Debbie.

Debbie's main research interests focus on psychology and the pregnancy experience. She is involved in projects that explore pregnancy-related behaviour change, the idea of pregnancy as a teachable moment, breastfeeding behaviours, maternal obesity, the impact of socio-economic environment on health behaviours and the impact of pregnancy loss on parents and health care professionals.

Debbie designs and delivers health psychology training for health care professionals to support their care of pregnant people and their partners.  She contributes health psychology expertise to several projects. Including stillbirth research with Professor Alex Heazell (St.Marys Hospital, Manchester) and global stillbirth research with Professor Dame Tina Lavender and Dr Tracey Mills (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine). She supports the applied work of Blackpool Better Start, Leeds Recovery College and The North West Maternal Medicine Network. 

 Current teaching responsibilities.

Undergraduate and postgraduate:

• Academic Advisor and independent project supervisor - BSc Psychology programme
• Professional Issues (PSYC69841) - MSc Clinical & Health Psychology and MSc Health Psychology programme
• Health Psychology Placement (PSYC66660) unit lead - Msc Health Psychology programme.
• Qualitative Research methods session on the Masterclass in research methods unit (MEDN65522) - MRes Maternal and Fetal Medicine
• Understanding inequalities in applied work session on Health & Society unit (PSYC69831) -  MSc Clinical & Health Psychology and MSc Health Psychology programme

Postgraduate (PGR) and early career researchers:

• PGR Student Supervision: How to be a good supervisor (RE12)
• PGR Student Supervision: Maintaining Momentum (RE13)
• PGR Student Supervision: Examinations and viva of PhD/MD (RE14) 

• British Psychological Society (BPS) – Full Member, since Jan 2009
• Division of Health Psychology

Qualitative research methods 

Meta-synthesis

• Senior Fellow of the HEA - 2017
• PhD (Affluence, deprivation and young parenthood – an exploration of pregnancy decisions in four Local Authorities in London) - 2007
• MSc Health Psychology - 2003
• BSc Psychology - 2002

Debbie was a first-generation student and is passionate about social responsibility. She is involved in educational research and widening participation activities. These include University experience days for GCSE and A-Level students and Psychology Education and Well-being in schools (PEWs) for primary school children. She has also been a Nuffield Research Placement Provider.

She is chair of the governing committee at an inner-city primary school in Leeds.