Penny graduated from Loughborough University in 1997 with a first class honours degree in Human Biology. She was awarded a Loughborough University doctoral scholarship and in 2001 completed a PhD in reproductive psychology. In 2002 Penny moved to the University of Manchester to take up a research post in the School of Nursing, Much of the research with which she has been involved since then has been relevant to both the academic field and government policy. Key research areas include the development and evaluation of innovative models of mental health service delivery and in particular telephone CBT.
Penny has substantial experience in externally funded and commissioned systematic reviews, including interventions for children of parents with serious mental illness and children and young people with long term conditions. She is co-applicant on a number of feasibility and definitive trials evaluating community interventions for parents and families living with mental illness, and workstream lead on an NIHR programme grant seeking to improve the quality of user involvement in care planning in adult mental health services.
Penny is involved in the co-supervision of postdoctoral students. Current projects include an examination of the acceptibility of telephone support services for cancer patients (Ms Sarah Liptrott), a investigation into treatment outcome predictors in OCD (Ms Yasmin Knopp) and the exploration of children's psychological illness models in families experiencing parental OCD (Ms Rebecca Pedley).