Dr Anna Adlam Associate Professor
Co-Director of Postgraduate Research for Psychology
A.R.Adlam@exeter.ac.uk
2209
Washington Singer 121
Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK
Overview
Associate Professor Anna Adlam is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist (D.Clin.Psy.) and academic Neuropsychologist (Ph.D.), who specialises in working with individuals who have survived paediatric brain injury. Anna gained her Ph.D., investigating dissociations in memory in developmental amnesia, at the Institute of Child Health, UCL (1999-2003). Following this, Anna worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the MRC-Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (2003-2006), investigating the neural correlates of semantic memory. Anna went on to complete her doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at the University of East Anglia (UEA, 2006-2009) before joining the UEA as a Clinical Lecturer/Senior Lecturer. Anna also worked as a clinical psychologist for the Cambridge Centre of Paediatric Neuropsychological Rehabilitation (2009-2012). Anna joined the University of Exeter as a Senior Lecturer in 2012 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2019. Anna completed a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship (2015-17), which focused on adapting an online problem-solving intervention for children aged 9 -12 years old who had survived a brain injury (in collaboration with Professor Shari Wade). Anna was the Deputy Director of Postgraduate Research for CEDAR/DClinPsy (2012-2015), then Co-Director of Postgraduate Research for CEDAR/DClinPsy (2017-2019) and is now the Co-Director of Postgraduate Research for Psychology. Anna is also the Research Lead for the Child and Adolescent Neuropsychology group and co-ordinates the Paediatric Neurocognitive Interventions Research Group, an international research network conducting studies in the UK/Europe, USA, and Australia.
Anna is interested in supervising MbyRes/MPhil/PhD students researching the following topics: developing and evaluating neuropsychological/psychological interventions for children/children with neurological conditions; understanding the relationship between neurocognitive function and mood in children. Please email Anna if you wish to discuss further.
Key words: child, brain, mood, memory, executive function, interventions
Qualifications
Certificate in Higher Education Practice, University of East Anglia, 2011
D.Clin.Psy., University of East Anglia, 2009
Ph.D. (Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience), University College London, 2003
B.Sc. (Psychology, First Class Honours), University of Bristol, 1998
Links
Research group links
Research
Research interests
The main focus of Anna's research is to develop and evaluate interventions for young people who experience neuropsychological difficulties (e.g., following an acquired brain injury). Research themes include:
- memory and executive processes
- mood disorders
- social function
Anna is particularly interested in how these processes interact and influence each other. Research techniques include:
- experimental neuropsychology
- neuroimaging
- single case experimental designs
- randomised controlled designs
Research projects
Funded projects include:
- a feasibility study investigating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of Teen Online Problem-Solving (TOPS-UK) for young people following brain injury (NIHR RfPB)
- developing a web-based problem-solving intervention for children aged 9-11 years following brain injury (British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship and NIHR Brain MIC)
- the efficacy of computerised working memory training in children who have survived a brain injury - a phase II randomised controlled trial (Action Medical Research)
- an evaluation of novel working memory training to reduce rumination and depression in young people (ISSF Wellcome Trust)
Doctoral student projects include:
- developing an intervention to improve peer relationships in adolescents who have survived a brain injury (Scott Ankrett)
- evaluating behavioural activtaion for low mood in adolescents who have survived a brain injury (Conor O'Brien)
- the neural correlates of working memory training in children with ADHD (Jonathan Jones - completed)
- developing and evaluating executive control training in adolescents (Jo Green - completed)
- executive control and moral reasoning in survivors of paediatric brain injury (Beverly Garrigan - completed)
- role of executive control in rumination and depression in adolescents/young people (Rebecca Pepper, Erika Baker, and Claire Stephens - completed)
Research networks
Funded research collaborators: University of Exeter - Dr Fraser Milton, Dr Het Roberts, Dr Jenny Limond, Professor Ed Watkins, Professor Tamsin Ford, Professor Brahm Norwich, Dr Annie Hawton, Dr Fiona Warren, Dr Richard Tomlinson (also Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital); National - Professor Sue Gathercole (MRC-Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit), Dr Joni Holmes (MRC-CBU), Dr Fergus Gracey (University of East Anglia), Professor Lee Shepstone (UEA), Dr Darren Dunning (MRC-CBU), Dr Peter Langdon (University of Kent); International - Professor Shari Wade (Cincinnati Children's Hospital/University of Cincinnati, Ohio), Professor Brad Kurowski (Cincinnati Children's Hospital/University of Cincinnati, Ohio)
Research grants
- 2015 British Academy/Leverhulme
A family intervention designed by families: developing an online problem-solving intervention for children (9-12 years) who have survived a brain injury. - 2015 National Institute for Health Research, Research for Patient Benefit
The clinical and cost-effectiveness of Teen Online Problem Solving for adolescents who have survived an acquired brain injury in the UK (TOPSUK): A feasibility study - 2014 University of Exeter, CLES
Neural correlates of working memory training in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. - 2014 Wellcome Trust
Does working memory training reduce repetitive negative thinking? - 2014 Great Western Research
Clinical development of cognitive bias modification paradigms - 2013 Exeter University
A University of Exeter Link Fund has been awarded to support the costs of a research visit to meet with international collaborations, Professor Shari Wade (Cincinnati Children's Hospital,Ohio) and Professor Keith Yeates (Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio). - 2013 Exeter University
International Fellowship Award to support Professor McKay Sohlberg (University of Oregon) to visit the research group - 2012 Action Medical Research
A RCT investigating the efficacy of computerised working memory training in children (aged 8-16 years) who have survived a traumatic brain injury (2012-2015) - 2011 The British Academy
A study investigating the acceptability and feasibility of using computerised working memory training with children (aged 8-16 years) who have survived a brain injury (2011-2013). - 2011 British Psychological Society
An international seminar series will be hosted by the University of Exeter and the University of East Anglia to share research developments in paediatric neuropsychology theory and evidence-based interventions (2012-2014)
Links
Publications
Journal articles
Chapters
Conferences
External Engagement and Impact
Administrative responsibilities
Co-Director of the Centre for Clinical Neuropsychology Research, University of Exeter (Nov. 2012 - Sep. 2015)
Deputy Director of Research for Professional Doctorates, CEDAR, University of Exeter (Nov. 2012 - Sep. 2015)
Awards and distinctions
Pre-Qualification Award for contribution to Clinical Psychology, British Psychological Society, Division of Clinical Psychology, 2011
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2011
Link Fund Award, University of Exeter, 2013 (awarded to Dr Anna Adlam to visit Professor Shari Wade, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Ohio)
Visiting International Academic Fellowship, University of Exeter, 2013 (awarded to Dr Anna Adlam to host Professor McKay Sohlberg, University of Oregon)
Committee/panel activities
Executive Committee Member of the British Psychological Society, Division of Neuropsychology (Dec. 2011 - Sep. 2015)
Committee Member, British Psychological Society Research Board (Oct. 2013 - Sep. 2015)
Committee Member of the British Psychological Society, Division of Neuropsychology, Faculty of Paediatric Neuropsychology (July 2012 - July 2014)
Teaching
Anna teaches on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Neuropsychology and Research streams), MSc, and Applied Psychology BSc programmes. Anna's teaching interests include paediatric neuropsychology, cognitive assessment, memory theory, and memory disorders.Supervision / Group
Postdoctoral researchers
- Dr Darren Dunning Working memory training in children with brain injury
- Beverley Garrigan UEA, Moral reasoning in young people who have survived a brain injury (with Dr Peter Langdon, University of Kent)
- Dr Het Roberts Does working memory training reduce rumination in young people?
Postgraduate researchers
- Scott Ankrett developing an intervention to improve peer relationships in adolescents who have survived a brain injury (D.Clin.Psy)
- Silje Aronsen Undergraduate project student
- Jordan Bastable Undergraduate project student
- Georgina Easton Undergraduate internship (2019)
- Anna Gnap Undergraduate project student
- Jonathan Jones How Does Working Memory Training Work? Investigating the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Training in Children with ADHD. (with Dr Fraser Milton, University of Exeter)
- Conor OBrien evaluating behavioural activtaion for low mood in adolescents who have survived a brain injury (D.Clin.Psy.)
- Anna Telling Postdoctoral Researcher (ADAPT-Genetics)
- Elizabeth Turnbull Undergraduate placement student (2018/19)
Alumni
- Dr Amy Carroll The role of theory of mind and empathy in childen's understanding of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Now a qualified Clinical Psychologist.
- Dr Josie Galpin Posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth in parents of infants born prematurely. Now a qualified Clinical Psychologist
- Sian Hocking Siblings experiences of paediatric acquired brain injury (with Dr Phil Yates, University of Exeter)
- Jonathan Jones The role of theory of mind and metacognition in children's understanding of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Completed MSc.
- Kate Littler Cognitive and affective correlates of moral development (with Dr Peter Langdon, University of Kent)
- Steven Mahen Prospective memory intervention for children with acquired brain injury (with Dr Ingram Wright, University of Bristol)
- Emma Matthews Working memory and attentional control in children born prematurely (with Dr Gaia Scerif, University of Oxford)
- Dr Rebecca Rous Prospective memory training in children with acquired brain injury. Now a qualified clinical psychologist working with Cambridge Cognition
- Dr Evi Stefanopoulou Working memory and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Now clinical psychologist/researcher at Kings College London
- Briony Westgate Placement student (2012-2013): Developing and validating a parent measure of children's working memory ability. Now completing final year of undergraduate Psychology, University of Loughborough
- Dr Lucy Wigg Moral reasoning in young adults with acquired brain injury. Now a Clinical Psychologist
Office Hours:
UG office hours: Mondays 9:15-10:15am and Thursdays 10:30-11:30am (currently via MS Teams)