Karen Coales
PhD Student
Profile
Biography
Karen completed her MRes in Clinical Research at the University of Southampton, where her research focused on undertaking an empirical qualitative study exploring factors impacting employment status among adults with complex regional pain syndrome.
Karen joined the DiaDeM team as a full time PhD student in November 2020. Her research interest is the relationship between mental and physical wellbeing in individuals with physical long-term health conditions. Her PhD will explore factors affecting health worker engagement in task shifting to deliver behavioural activation, a brief psychological intervention, for depression for patients living in Bangladesh and Pakistan with diabetes and depression multimorbidity.
Before embarking on her PhD, Karen worked for the NHS for 20 years and has a clinical background in occupational therapy and psychological wellbeing. Her clinical expertise lies in treating long-term physical health conditions and common mental health disorders.
Qualifications
- BSc Science, Open University
- BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy, Coventry University
- MRes Clinical Research, University of Southampton
- PCert Low Intensity Psychological Interventions, University of Sheffield
Research
Overview
Karen’s research interest is the relationship between mental and physical wellbeing in individuals with physical long-term health conditions.
Projects
- Depression and Diabetes Multimorbidity in South Asia (DiaDeM) research programme