Clinical research group
The Clinical Psychology research group delivers world-class research into the advancement of theoretical knowledge and clinical practice in clinical psychology.
The group gained acknowledgement as a world-leading research centre for mood disorders, interested in psychological processes implicated in unipolar and bipolar depressive disorder and evidence-based approaches to treatment.
A core structure within the group is the Mood Disorders Centre (MDC), a partnership between the University of Exeter and the National Health Service (NHS) that has directly led to treatment innovations that address key priorities in treating mood disorders and improving the health and quality-of-life of patients.
Emerged from this is the Study of Maladaptive to Adaptive Repetitive Thought (SMART) Lab that conducts innovative world-leading research to translate basic science into improved interventions for worry and rumination, and to further disseminate and train transdiagnostic treatment and prevention.
In addition, the clinical research group also holds the Psychopharmacology and Addiction Research Centre (PARC), which contains colleagues from across the University and builds on Psychology’s strengths in addiction and obesity research.
Another focus for the group’s activities is the Centre for Research into Inhibition Training, Impulse Control and Associative Learning (CRITICAL), which brings together colleagues from all four research groups across the department (clinical, social, cognitive, and animal behaviour).
Finally, the Centre for Research in Ageing and Cognitive Health (REACH) focuses on improving the well-being of older people and people with dementia.
Group members
| Faculty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dr Anna Adlam | Associate Professor | MDC, CEDAR, CREATE |
| Dr Julian Basanovic | Lecturer | |
| Dr Catherine Butler | Academic Director, Selection Lead on Doctorate in Clinical Psychology | |
| Dr Doretta Caramaschi | Lecturer | |
| Prof. Barney Dunn | Professor of Clinical Psychology and Mental Health Lead for APEX/NIHR Primary School Care | MDC |
| Prof. Paul Farrand | Professor of Evidence Based Psychological Practice and Research | CEDAR, CREATE |
| Dr Louise Gates | Lecturer | |
| Dr Andrew Gibbs | Senior Lecturer | |
| Prof. Anke Karl | Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology | MDC |
| Dr Natalia Lawrence | Associate Professor in Translational Medicine | MDC, CRITICAL, PARC |
| Dr Jennifer Lay | Lecturer | |
| Dr Jenny Limond | Senior Lecturer and Research Director for DClinPsy/Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist | |
| Dr Cassandra Lowe | Lecturer | |
| Dr Nick Moberly | Senior Lecturer | MDC |
| Prof. Celia Morgan | Professor of Psychopharmacology | PARC |
| Prof. Heather O'Mahen | Professor in Perinatal Clinical Psychology | MDC |
| Dr Matthew Owens | Lecturer | MDC, SMART Lab |
| Dr Lamprini Psychogiou | Senior Lecturer in Translational Medicine | MDC |
| Dr Henrietta Roberts | Research Tutor DClinPsy and Research Fellow (RuMeChange trial) | |
| Dr Gemma Sharp | Associate Professor in Reproductive and Mental Health Epidemiology | |
| Dr Alexander Shaw | Lecturer | PARC |
| Dr Cordet Smart | ||
| Dr Janet Smithson | Senior Lecturer in Psychology | |
| Dr Raluca Topciu | Senior Lecturer in Clinical Research | |
| Dr Rosie Walker | Lecturer | |
| Prof. Ed Watkins | Professor of Experimental and Applied Clinical Psychology | MDC, SMART Lab |
| Prof. Huw Williams | Professor | |
| Dr Kim Wright | Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology | MDC |
| Research Assistants/Associates/Research Fellows/Associate Research Fellows | ||
| Dr Jemima Dooley | Research Fellow and Engagement Officer - Nurture-U | MDC |
| Natalie Flay | ||
| Hollie Gay | CEDAR, CREATE | |
| Flora Hemming | ||
| Asha Ladwa | Post Doc on RESPOND trail and Mental Health Mission Award | |
| Dr Alexandra Newbold | RCT Trial Manager - Nurture-U | MDC |
| Laura Warbrick | Research Fellow - NIHR predoc fellowship | |
| Research and Clinic Therapists | ||
| Hiba Choueiri | Clinical Practitioner | |
| Megan Colletta | Clinical Research Therapist | |
| Hugo Durward | Clinical Therapist | |
| Jerry Fox | Clinical Therapist | |
| Dave Jago | Clinical Practitioner, Research HI Practitioner | |
| Jo Mackenzie | Clinical Research Therapist | |
| Michaela Octigan | Clinical Therapist | |
|
Emma Thom |
Clinical Therapist | |
| Administration Team | ||
| Charlie Dibble | Operational Manager | MDC, CEDAR |
| Rachael Milne | Associate Research Fellow (AccEPT Clinic Coordinator) | MDC |
| Katie Stewart | Administrator, AccEPT Clinic & Wellcome Building | MDC |
| Nicole Madeley | Administrator, Nurture-U | MDC |
| PhD students | ||
| Hind Saleh Alharbi | ||
| Samia Alharbi | ||
| Shahina Begum | ||
| Fatmawati Fadli | ||
| Sophie Hearn | ||
| Danielle Windget | ||
Facilities
The Sir Henry Wellcome Building for Mood Disorders Research (MDC)
The Sir Henry Wellcome Building for Mood Disorders Research, managed by Professor Ed Watkins, is dedicated to the improvement of the understanding and treatment of mood disorders. This state-of-the art, fit-for-purpose built clinical research facility houses individual and group treatment rooms, with built-in audiovisual recording, plus office and meeting space for clinical research.
The AccEPT clinic at the MDC
The AccEPT Clinic, led by Drs. Barney Dunn and Kim Wright, provides evidence-based psychological therapies to people in the community who experience severe or recurrent mood disorders, as well as aiding the development of new treatments by offering innovations in psychological therapies to these client groups. It is funded by the NHS via the NEW Devon Clinical Commissioning Group.
The MDC biobehavioural lab
The MDC biobehavioural lab, led by Dr Anke Karl, supports research into the understanding of neural and peripheral physiological correlates of those mechanisms hypothesised to cause or maintain mood and related disorders. It comprises testing rooms equipped with psychophysiology and EEG equipment, eye tracker and virtual reality suites.
The PARC psychopharmalogical lab
The PARC psychopharmalogical lab, led by Professor Celia Morgan, supports research into the acute effects of pharmacological challenges on human volunteers. Three dedicated Home Office approved labs contain facilitites for administering pharmacological challenge, phlebotomy and preparation and storage of blood samples and psychological data.
The Research, Learning, Innovation and Development Building
The clinical group collaborate closely with individuals in the RILD building, at the R,D & E hospital site. The Wellcome Wolfson Medical Research Centre (opened December 2013), a new £28 million facility that brings together key clinical and biomedical scientists working in genomics, neuroscience, cell biology and human physiology. This building also houses the NIHR Exeter Clinical Research Facility (www.exeter.crf.nihr.ac.uk); a purpose built testing facility for early stage clinical trials.
MR Scanner
Exeter's MR scanner is a 1.5T Phillips Gyroscan Magnetic with SENSE technology capable of high speed whole-volume acquisitions for event and epoch fMRI designs. Button-box, joystick and trackball response manipulanda with optic-fibre connections are available. The scanner is equipped with an Applied Science Labs MRI-compatible eye tracking system. It is a research-dedicated machine, housed in the Peninsula Medical School's research building, and operated by the medical physicists in the Department of Physics; the School of Psychology is part of a consortium of users in several departments of the university and beyond. Concurrent ERP and fMRI recording is available.
Centre for Biomedical Modelling and Analysis
The centre is a university-wide Wellcome Trust funded resource supporting researchers with advanced and complex data analyses of biomedical data and implementation of new technologies into existing research.
Peninsula Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (PENCLAHRC)
PenCLAHRC is the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) of the South West Peninsula. It offers excellent research infrastructure including specialist groups in medical statistics, health economics, evidence synthesis and modelling, and PPI, and the clinical trials unit. MDC and REACH have close links with PENCLAHRC.