During her time with the HSRC she led a behavioural medicine research group which conducted experimental and applied research into the diverse ways psychological factors influence health and disease outcomes and the development of psychological interventions to improve these outcomes. The research at this time included: investigations into the effects of emotional disclosure on disease activity in patients with autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis; the role of psychosocial factors in the healing of chronic wounds (diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers); the effects of psychological distress on primary and secondary immunity; the role of early life experiences on stress reactivity in adolescence and studies investigating the emotional responses of men undergoing screening for prostate cancer and the relationship between psychological distress and the diagnosis of prostate cancer.