Professor Sarah Dean

About me:

I have extensive experience of working in interdisciplinary environments for both teaching and research at the Universities of Southampton, Otago (New Zealand) and including my current role within the South West Peninsula Applied Research Collaboration (PenARC) and at the University of Exeter Medical School. I have a dual professional background as a Chartered Physiotherapist and a Chartered Psychologist with two higher degrees in Health Psychology. I worked clinically in both the NHS and private sector, specialising in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, particularly exercise therapy for sports injuries and cardiac rehabilitation. During this time, I was also training and competing as an international athlete for Great Britain in the 400m Hurdles. My roles at Exeter have included Director of Exeter’s Clinical Trials Unit, co-chair for UEMS Equality and Diversity committee, and initiating the Medical School's pilot mentoring scheme and Inspiring stories campaign. Current roles include PenARC's academic lead for helping clinicians, patients and members of the public make sense of research evidence; lead for the University of Exeter Medical School’s Behavioural Science Research Group and co-lead for the Women’s Health Research Group and since 2022 Co-Director for Postgraduate Research for the Department of Health & Community Sciences.

Interests:

My research area is in applied, interdisciplinary health research as an expert in applying psychology to rehabilitation and health, including goal-setting and behaviour change strategies for facilitating adherence to exercise therapy and physical activity. The clinical focus of my research is chronic condition management, especially through exercise based rehabilitation for people with stroke, urinary incontinence, spinal injury, low back pain, musculoskeletal pain, depression or cardiovascular problems. My second research focus is methodological including the science and theory of rehabilitation, measurement of exercise adherence. Much of my work is collaborative and I play an essential part in working with interdisciplinary teams to develop their complex interventions, apply behaviour change theory and evaluate intervention delivery fidelity. Utilising my expertise in multiple methods research I lead the process evaluation component of many large multi-centre clinical trials.

Qualifications:

• PhD, Health Psychology, Kings College, University of London, 2003
• MSc, Health Psychology, University of London, 1994
• Graduate Diploma in Physiotherapy, Guy’s Hospital, London, 1989
• BSc Joint Honours, Psychology & Physical Education, University of Birmingham, 1986
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Chartered Psychologist, British Psychological Society

Career:

Position/Institution/Dates

Professor in Psychology Applied to Rehabilitation and Health

University of Exeter Medical School, UK July 2017- ongoing

Associate Professor in Psychology Applied to Rehabilitation and Health

University of Exeter Medical School, UK June 2015- July 2017

Senior Lecturer in Psychology Applied to Health (formerly Health Research)

University of Exeter Medical School, UK June 2009- June 2015

Honorary Contract Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Trust, UK 2010 on-going

Honorary Associate Professor University of Otago, New Zealand June 2009 on-going

Deputy Director Rehabilitation Teaching and Research Unit, School of Medicine and Health Sciences,

University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand May 2008 to May 2009

Senior Lecturer in Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Teaching and Research Unit, School of Medicine and Health Sciences,

University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand February 2004 to May 2009

Lecturer in Physiotherapy, School of Health Professions and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Southampton, UK, April 1995 to January 2004

Acting Physiotherapy Manager BUPA Chalybeate Hospital, Southampton, UK August 1994 to April 1995

Senior Physiotherapist BUPA Chalybeate Hospital, Southampton, UK January 1991 to August 1994 (part time then full time)

Junior Physiotherapist Guy’s Hospital, London, UK August 1989 to January 1991