Dr Anna Price

About me:

Anna is a Senior Research Fellow, and NIHR Three Schools Mental Health Research Fellow. Her research concentrates on service provision for children and young people's mental health, with a focus on digital health, and neurodevelopment. Anna's research is co-located between APEx (Collaboration for Primary Care at Exeter), and ChYMe (Children & Young People’s Mental Health Research Collaboration). She is the Mental Health Theme co-lead for APEx, and co-leads SAND: the Science of ADHD & Neurodevelopment collaboration at Exeter. She is a Guest Editor for BMC Digital Health, special edition, "Digital technology and the future of mental health treatment".

Anna holds an NIHR Development and Skills Enhancement Award, co-developing an app for young people with ADHD, and strengthening international networks in digital health. She is principal investigator for the MAP study: 'Managing young people with ADHD in primary care', and for DigitalHealth-ADHD: 'Identifying appropriate evidence-based digital solutions to improve healthcare and support for young people (aged 16 to 25) with ADHD in primary care'. She is a co-investigator on the NIHR Bath Mental Health Research Group Award, helping to increase capacity for applied mental health research in the South West. She is deputy chair of the IAM-ADHD NIHR Team Science Award, developing interdisciplinary approaches to multimorbidity in young people with ADHD. She is co-investigator on the SPaCE Project: ‘Support for Parent Carers in England’, where she is lead advisor on the mapping work stream. She is also co-investigator on multiple other projects. 

Anna retains strong links with the Exeter HS&DR Evidence Synthesis Centre, where she worked for two years, conducting syntheses of evidence about organisation and delivery of health and social care. Anna completed her PhD in Medical Studies whilst working on the CATCh-uS study: 'Children and adolescents with ADHD in transition between children’s services and adult services', where she led the Mapping strand. She previously worked as a Trial Manager at the Exeter Clinical Trials Unit, managing the HemiSPAIRE randomised controlled trial: 'Effects of a Modified Muscle Sparing Posterior Technique (SPAIRE) in hip hemiarthoplasty'.

Broad research specialisms

Anna has extensive experience of working in child and adolescent mental health, with a focus on neurodevelopmental difference, transition, and digital health. She has developed expertise in mapping health service provision, and using collaborative research techniques that engage a range of research partners including those with lived experience. Her focus is on improving mental health and wellbeing in underserved populations, through improving access to health and social care. She is experienced in conducting evidence syntheses to inform health and social care policy. She has also worked in clinical trial management, with a focus on trials with the potential to inform healthcare guidelines.

Interests:

Anna's main research interests are in applied health and social care aspects of the mental health of children and young people, including:

• Support for neurodevelopmental difference (e.g., ADHD or Autism) in young people
• Transition from child to adult services
• Co-development of Digital Health Interventions (DHIs) for people with neurodevelopmental conditions
• Stakeholder informed methodologies for mapping services
• Evidence syntheses
• Clinical trial management
• Small study group student learning and inclusive education

Qualifications:

• Fellow of BCS Chartered Institute for IT, Health and Care Specialist Group, 2024
• Future Focussed Leadership Programme, NIHR, 2023
• One Year Training Programme in Autism Research, Autistica, 2022
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), 2020
• PhD Medical Studies, University of Exeter Medical School, 2019
• BSc Psychology, University of Exeter, 2012

Career:

Anna has worked at the University of Exeter Medical School since 2012, with various job roles in ChYMe, the Clinical Trials Unit, the Evidence Synthesis Centre, and most recently APEx. She gained her PhD in Medical Studies in October 2019. Anna is interested in the use of early interventions to promote health and wellbeing in children and families, as well as supporting young peoples' transitions into adulthood. She is focussed on inclusive methodologies, and the co-creation of research to ensure health and social services are accessable to all. She has wide interests in education, with personal experience of supporting neurodevelopmental differences, home education, and flexi-schooling.