Meet the team teaching MSc Health Psychology

We are excited to be delivering a new MSc in Health Psychology this year as part of the Postgraduate Taught provision within the Psychology Group and in this blog we are introducing some of the teaching team.

MSc Health Psychology is designed for those who already hold a BPS accredited degree and wish to develop a critical awareness and in-depth knowledge of health psychology. Through the course students will develop expert knowledge of health psychology, preparing them for applied psychology practitioner and research roles across a range of industries. 

The teaching team contains experts from across the field, who may also be familiar faces for those who studied Psychology with us at undergraduate level.

Trish Holch is a Reader in Applied Health Psychology, Director of our Centre for Psychological Research (PsyCen) and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Patient Reported Outcomes Group at the University of Leeds. Undertaking both qualitative and quantitative applied Health research to design, implement and evaluate complex healthcare interventions, Trish is interested in understanding health behaviours, factors influencing self-management of symptoms, electronic symptom monitoring, PROMs and electronic health literacy. Trish is an executive committee member of the British Psychosocial Oncology Society (BPOS) and a member of the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS). Trish is also the past Chair of the ISOQOL (International Society for Quality of Life Research) UK & Ireland Special Interest Group and is involved in their Best Practices for PROs- Reporting Taskforce (Patient Reported Outcomes). Trish will be leading the Health Psychology in Action module on the course. 

Dr Suzie Wang is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology, and co-lead of the Health and Wellbeing Program of PsyCen. Suzie has extensive experience of conducting quantitative and qualitative healthcare research in a range of healthcare settings, and with a range of stakeholders with research focusing on self-management of long-term conditions particularly stroke and its secondary prevention. Suzie will be teaching the Health Psychology in Action module.

Dr Zoe Koloktroni is a Senior Lecturer whose research aims to further understand the complex and debilitating disorder of addiction both in the context of drug abuse and food. More specifically her research explores the role of impulse control disorders in drug addiction, problematic eating behaviours and obesity, with a focus also on the possible neurobiological mechanisms mediating addictive behaviours. Research within this area has clear implications for health professional practice in developing more effective behavioural and pharmacological treatments for addiction, as well as for academic research in this area. Zoe is the postgraduate research tutor for our PhD student community and has particular expertise and interest in teaching biological psychology, drug addiction and research methods. Zoe will be teaching and leading the Physiological and Psychosomatic Diseases module on the course. 

The Course Manager is Dr Kirsty Budds who is also a co-lead of the Health and Wellbeing Programme of PsyCen. Kirsty has research interests and expertise in women’s health and motherhood. With reference to women’s health, she is interested in reproductive health including fertility and reproduction. Her research is currently focused on women’s experiences of the ‘preconception’ period and their engagement with health and lifestyle recommendations during this time. Taking a feminist approach, she is interested in understanding the implications of preconception health recommendations for women, such as on their experiences of trying to conceive a baby, including after baby loss. She has also explored issues around infant feeding, reproductive timing and women’s experiences of the transition to motherhood. As well as managing the course, Kirsty will be module leader for Advanced Research Methods in Health Psychology and Client Groups Across the lifespan. The latter of which will introduce you to a variety of different client groups you might expect to come across within health psychology practice, and to equip you with the knowledge, skills and capabilities to progress to working with these client groups.

If you would like to find out more information about the course or if you have any questions please contact Kirsty on K.M.Budds@leedsbeckett.ac.uk