• I am a Foundation Fellow funded by a prestigious award from Versus Arthritis in the Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester
• My main research passion is in developing new approaches for improving the assessment, management and communication of pain for children and young people in paediatric rheumatology
• My current project is leading on the development of an innovative intervention based upon behaviour change principles to modify healthcare professionals approaches to pain in clinics
• I have expertise in applied health psychology, rheumatology, paediatrics, mHealth/eHealth and behavioural science, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods in my research practices and working with children, young people, parents and healthcare professionals
• I am also involved in undergraduate medical and psychology student teaching and supervision of research projects and I recently applied to be a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

I gained my First Class undergraduate degree in Psychology from Edge Hill University in 2013 followed by a Distinction in my Master’s degree in Health Psychology from The University of Central Lancashire in 2014. I then embarked on my research career in the field of applied health psychology and medicine as a PhD student in the Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences at the University of Manchester. In my PhD, I developed a new mHealth multi-dimensional monitor of pain for children and young people with JIA to remotely assess and communicate their pain at home, called My Pain Tracker. I conducted and published a systematic review on how uni-dimensional pain assessments were being used in research and I established a set of recommendations to improve current approaches. I also conducted three original scientific studies, exploring how healthcare professionals approached pain in clinics and how they interpreted pain. From a patient perspective, I explored the benefits and disadvantages to children and young people using pain assessments remotely and created a strong evidence base for implementing these tools at home for children/young people to use independently. The long-term goal of my research is to lead to better clinical communication about pain symptoms and better management of pain symptoms for patients with chronic pain in the future. 

• 2018 - Ph.D in Medicine, University of Manchester, UK
• 2014 - M.Sc in Health Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, UK
• 2013 - B.Sc Hons in Psychology, Edge Hill University, UK