2015 Conference: Speaker Biographies
Prof Karen Rodham
Professor of Health Psychology, Staffordshire University and Chair of the Division of Health Psychology
"How Health Psychology can help people learn to live and cope with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome"
Karen Rodham is a Professor of Health Psychology at Staffordshire University. Karen has built a strong body of research in the field of coping across a variety of areas (deliberate self-harm, arthritis, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), anorexia nervosa). She takes a phenomenological perspective and the questions she seeks answers to are those that require understanding of the experience of the people whom she studies. As such, the majority of her work is qualitative in nature.
Prior to moving to Stoke in 2014, Karen combined her academic role in Bath with a practising role at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic diseases; she was instrumental in setting up the psychology service for adults with CRPS and has seven years’ experience of working in the CRPS field. Karen has just taken on the role of Chair of the Division of Health Psychology and is looking forward to working for the DHP members over the next two years. In her spare time, she likes nothing better than hill walking. She mostly likes to walk alone, but sometimes uses her mountain leader qualification to teach young people about walking and camping safely in the hills.
Dr Katja Rudell
Director, Patient Reported Outcomes (Oncology), AstraZeneca
“Patient Reported Outcomes Assessment in Drug Development – Opportunities and Challenge to capture Patient Treatment Perspectives”
Katja Rüdell is a Health Psychologist by training. She originally trained at UCL in 1998-99 with the late Lynn Myers who supervised also her Chartered Health Psychologist training in 2000-2004. She completed her PhD in illness perception/ explanatory model research with ethnic minorities at the Department of Psychiatry at Queen Mary, University of London in 2005. She co-ordinated the Pfizer Chantix clinical trials at the Royal London Tobacco Unit in 2004 and was a lecturer in health psychology at the University of Kent from 2004-2007. In 2007 she joined the Outcomes Research department at Pfizer in Sandwich and became a Patient Reported Outcomes specialist. In April 2015, she took on a role to join AstraZeneca in their new Cambridge site and support the PRO strategy for selected parts of their Oncology portfolio.
Mercy Maclean
CEO, Health Psychology Management Organisation Service
“The use of Health Psychology Research Skills in the Charity Sector”
Mercy Maclean is the founder and CEO at Health Psychology Management Organisation Services (since March 2006) where she manages staff, volunteers and the day-to-day running of the organisation including its strategic and operational functioning; delivering training and development in the UK and across Europe. Mercy gained a Master's degree in Health Psychology (stage 1) at City University in 2003 and qualified as a Smoking Cessation Specialist (level 3) at the Royal London/ Maudsley in 2005. She has worked in a number of organisations including East London Community Foundation (ELCF), Newham University Hospital NHS Trust, University of East London and the charity Revolving Doors Agency. Her work has involved delivering psychological services to beneficiaries from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds, including those with disabilities and mental health conditions and collaborating with a range of UK and European partners to deliver project research with policy implications. Mercy also has experience of integrating psychological support services into the fabric of life by using effective training, development, research and communication tools relevant to key stakeholders. Mercy has recently applied to enrol for Stage 2 training in Health Psychology.
Dr Rowena Merritt
Head of Research, National Social Marketing Centre (NSMC)
“Why can't you sell brotherhood like you can sell soap? Using health psychology in social marketing"
Rowena Merritt has extensive experience of developing, leading and evaluating social marketing and behaviour change programs both in the UK and internationally. After completion of her D.Phil from the University of Oxford in 2006, she was part of the original team that set up the National Social Marketing Centre in London. Under her position at the Centre, she managed England’s first multi-trial applications of social marketing, involving ten sites across England, each focused on a different topic or audience.
In 2010 she set up her own company and remains the Head of Research for the National Social Marketing Centre (now a non-profit organisation). Since then she has: (1) worked for the Department of Health in Hong Kong on the development of a new marketing code for breast milk substitutes; (2) developed a suite of tools which calculate the Return on Investment of behaviour change programmes for the Department of Health England; (3) developed a new six month training programme for environmental NGO’s in the Kingdom of Jordan, funded by USAID; and (4) developed HIV prevention programmes in China for DFID and in London for the NHS.
Current projects include the development a maternal health programme for the World Health Organisation, spanning the Western Pacific area, and reducing domestic violence in Panama. She is the Chair of The University of South Florida Social Marketing Conference, and is also an Associate Professor at the University.
Annette King
Academic Team Lead, Kent, NIHR Research Design Service South East (RDS-SE)
"What do funders look for in an application? Reflections on observations from funding panels"
Annette is Academic Team Lead in Kent for the NIHR Research Design Service South East (RDS SE). The RDS provides design and methods advice to health professionals and academic colleagues developing research funding proposals.
Annette is an experienced health and social care/policy researcher specialising in qualitative research methods and theory–informed empirical health research. Her interests are in applied health and social care research, organisation and management of health services, and the development and evaluation of health service and social care interventions and policy.
Recent research projects include a trial of a education intervention for carers involved in postural care therapy for children with physical disabilities in primary schools, an evaluation of a newly designed hospice community service, a pilot study to test the use of concordance therapy in diabetes in primary care, research on information-giving and long-term support in stroke, and research into GP and practice nurse training.
Our conference programme is subject to change at any point before or during the conference. We are unable to accept responsibility for changes made which are outside of our control.
Professor of Health Psychology, Staffordshire University and Chair of the Division of Health Psychology
"How Health Psychology can help people learn to live and cope with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome"
Karen Rodham is a Professor of Health Psychology at Staffordshire University. Karen has built a strong body of research in the field of coping across a variety of areas (deliberate self-harm, arthritis, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), anorexia nervosa). She takes a phenomenological perspective and the questions she seeks answers to are those that require understanding of the experience of the people whom she studies. As such, the majority of her work is qualitative in nature.
Prior to moving to Stoke in 2014, Karen combined her academic role in Bath with a practising role at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic diseases; she was instrumental in setting up the psychology service for adults with CRPS and has seven years’ experience of working in the CRPS field. Karen has just taken on the role of Chair of the Division of Health Psychology and is looking forward to working for the DHP members over the next two years. In her spare time, she likes nothing better than hill walking. She mostly likes to walk alone, but sometimes uses her mountain leader qualification to teach young people about walking and camping safely in the hills.
Dr Katja Rudell
Director, Patient Reported Outcomes (Oncology), AstraZeneca
“Patient Reported Outcomes Assessment in Drug Development – Opportunities and Challenge to capture Patient Treatment Perspectives”
Katja Rüdell is a Health Psychologist by training. She originally trained at UCL in 1998-99 with the late Lynn Myers who supervised also her Chartered Health Psychologist training in 2000-2004. She completed her PhD in illness perception/ explanatory model research with ethnic minorities at the Department of Psychiatry at Queen Mary, University of London in 2005. She co-ordinated the Pfizer Chantix clinical trials at the Royal London Tobacco Unit in 2004 and was a lecturer in health psychology at the University of Kent from 2004-2007. In 2007 she joined the Outcomes Research department at Pfizer in Sandwich and became a Patient Reported Outcomes specialist. In April 2015, she took on a role to join AstraZeneca in their new Cambridge site and support the PRO strategy for selected parts of their Oncology portfolio.
Mercy Maclean
CEO, Health Psychology Management Organisation Service
“The use of Health Psychology Research Skills in the Charity Sector”
Mercy Maclean is the founder and CEO at Health Psychology Management Organisation Services (since March 2006) where she manages staff, volunteers and the day-to-day running of the organisation including its strategic and operational functioning; delivering training and development in the UK and across Europe. Mercy gained a Master's degree in Health Psychology (stage 1) at City University in 2003 and qualified as a Smoking Cessation Specialist (level 3) at the Royal London/ Maudsley in 2005. She has worked in a number of organisations including East London Community Foundation (ELCF), Newham University Hospital NHS Trust, University of East London and the charity Revolving Doors Agency. Her work has involved delivering psychological services to beneficiaries from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds, including those with disabilities and mental health conditions and collaborating with a range of UK and European partners to deliver project research with policy implications. Mercy also has experience of integrating psychological support services into the fabric of life by using effective training, development, research and communication tools relevant to key stakeholders. Mercy has recently applied to enrol for Stage 2 training in Health Psychology.
Dr Rowena Merritt
Head of Research, National Social Marketing Centre (NSMC)
“Why can't you sell brotherhood like you can sell soap? Using health psychology in social marketing"
Rowena Merritt has extensive experience of developing, leading and evaluating social marketing and behaviour change programs both in the UK and internationally. After completion of her D.Phil from the University of Oxford in 2006, she was part of the original team that set up the National Social Marketing Centre in London. Under her position at the Centre, she managed England’s first multi-trial applications of social marketing, involving ten sites across England, each focused on a different topic or audience.
In 2010 she set up her own company and remains the Head of Research for the National Social Marketing Centre (now a non-profit organisation). Since then she has: (1) worked for the Department of Health in Hong Kong on the development of a new marketing code for breast milk substitutes; (2) developed a suite of tools which calculate the Return on Investment of behaviour change programmes for the Department of Health England; (3) developed a new six month training programme for environmental NGO’s in the Kingdom of Jordan, funded by USAID; and (4) developed HIV prevention programmes in China for DFID and in London for the NHS.
Current projects include the development a maternal health programme for the World Health Organisation, spanning the Western Pacific area, and reducing domestic violence in Panama. She is the Chair of The University of South Florida Social Marketing Conference, and is also an Associate Professor at the University.
Annette King
Academic Team Lead, Kent, NIHR Research Design Service South East (RDS-SE)
"What do funders look for in an application? Reflections on observations from funding panels"
Annette is Academic Team Lead in Kent for the NIHR Research Design Service South East (RDS SE). The RDS provides design and methods advice to health professionals and academic colleagues developing research funding proposals.
Annette is an experienced health and social care/policy researcher specialising in qualitative research methods and theory–informed empirical health research. Her interests are in applied health and social care research, organisation and management of health services, and the development and evaluation of health service and social care interventions and policy.
Recent research projects include a trial of a education intervention for carers involved in postural care therapy for children with physical disabilities in primary schools, an evaluation of a newly designed hospice community service, a pilot study to test the use of concordance therapy in diabetes in primary care, research on information-giving and long-term support in stroke, and research into GP and practice nurse training.
Our conference programme is subject to change at any point before or during the conference. We are unable to accept responsibility for changes made which are outside of our control.