- Miscellaneous Information
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Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Co-Production
Vanessa joined the ARC in October 2020, working with Nadia Brookes and Lisa Richardson on the co-production theme that is centred on building a collective understanding around the benefits of co-production and embedding it into research and service planning/ development across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
Based in the Centre for Health Services Studies (CHSS) at the University of Kent, Vanessa is currently working on two NIHR funded multi-site realist evaluations, both with co-production embedded into the methodology.
Prior to this, Vanessa completed an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded doctoral thesis that evaluated a policy imperative related to recovery post-stroke, called the Six-Month Review, which lacked any evidence of effectiveness.
Vanessa initially trained as an occupational therapist and worked in one of the first Intermediate Care Teams when funding was sufficient to provide intensive (client-centred) home-based rehab. In New Zealand, Vanessa developed an inter-disciplinary clinic for those with mild traumatic brain injury and worked across all areas of neuro-rehabilitation. Vanessa is the Research and Development Lead for the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section in Neurological Practice.
Before joining CHSS, Vanessa was a Senior Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent. She has an MSc Public Health (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), Postgraduate Certificate in Social Research Methods, Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education and enjoys teaching/mentoring post-doctoral students.