Rona has been researching psychological factors that affect symptom experience and adjusting to chronic physical health conditions for the past 20 years.  This research has been used to design cognitive behavioural interventions, including web-based interventions, for a range of patient groups.  RCTs to test the clinical and cost effectiveness of these interventions and long-term implementation form a key component of her current research.  In 2015 she was awarded the British Psychological Society Division of Health Psychology’s Outstanding Contribution to Research Award and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience Supervisory Excellence Award.  Her work on Multiple Sclerosis (MS) was awarded the MS Society Annual Award for MS Research of the Year in 2013.  She is a past editor of Psychology and Health, incoming editor of Health Psychology Review and was National Advisor to NHS England for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies for People with Long Term and Medically Unexplained conditions from 2011-2016.
Research Interests:
Models which help us conceptualise and treat conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and post concussion syndrome.
Understanding adjustment to long term physical illness from both patient and family perspectives. Developing and evaluating self-management CBT based interventions for people with long term conditions including
Multiple sclerosis .
Irritable bowel syndrome IBS and CFS.
Inflammatory Bowel disease
Developing ways to measure people's perceptions and responses to their symptoms and illnesses. More details of the Illness Perception Questionnaire can be found here.