The Observatory Team

Professor Deborah Cairns

Deborah is Director of the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory and Professor of Health and Neurodevelopmental Conditions, in the School of Health and Wellbeing, at the University of Glasgow. Deborah is passionate about her research which aims to improve the health of people with learning disabilities and their families. She has worked on many different projects about people with learning disabilities including: cancer incidence, cancer screening, multi-morbidity (having two or more health conditions), oral health and COVID-19, to name a few. She has also worked on projects about the physical and mental health of family members who support someone with a learning disability. Deborah is committed to conducting research that has impact and works closely with self-advocates with learning disabilities, family carers and third sector organisations who are pivotal in all of her work and who have a shared vision of ensuring the human rights of all people with learning disabilities are recognised, supported and upheld.

Dr Katrina Bannigan

Katrina joined the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory in 2024 as a research assistant to work on the Beat It 2 study which is testing the feasibility of behavioural activation for depression in adults with severe learning disabilities. As an occupational therapist she is passionate about the value of occupations—our everyday activities—for health. Her past research has predominantly focused on evidence synthesis to support the development of complex interventions. Her interest in evidence synthesis grew out of the research she conducted for her PhD thesis which focused on the evidence-based practice within the allied health professions.

Fiona Barlow

Fiona is the Impact and Communications Officer with the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory and leads on strategic communications and public engagement work, supporting the team with knowledge exchange and impact generation. Prior to joining the SLDO team in April 2020, Fiona worked at the University of Edinburgh supporting research projects with a specific focus on socio-economic inequalities in Scotland.

Fiona has extensive experience across the field of communications, stakeholder engagement and impact generation and is interested in innovative approaches to knowledge exchange and accessible research dissemination. Before working in research communications, Fiona worked in public affairs and policy roles in the voluntary sector.

Dr Kirsty Dunn

Kirsty is a Research Associate and has been working with the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory since 2015. She is interested in the health and wellbeing of individuals with learning disabilities and their families. Previously, Kirsty has worked on projects examining patterns of hospital admissions, prevalence of physical and mental health conditions, and the impact of caring for a son/daughter with learning disabilities on fathers.

Her current research projects are exploring:

The impact of bullying on young people's mental health

Common mental health conditions experienced by children and young people

Patterns of long-term health conditions and prescribing in adults

Dr Lauren Fulton

Lauren is a Research Associate and has been working at the University of Glasgow since 2015. She is currently working on projects aiming to increase the uptake of cancer screening among people with learning disabilities. She recently completed a PhD in the School of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. Her thesis used qualitative methods to explore how asset-based approaches, social inclusion, and belonging were experienced by people with learning disabilities both during and prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Amanda Gillooly

Amanda is a Research Associate at the University of Glasgow. She is interested in research promoting the mental health and wellbeing of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. Since joining the School of Health and Wellbeing in 2019, Amanda has worked on clinical trials focused on adapting and evaluating psychological therapies for people with intellectual disabilities. Prior to working at the University of Glasgow, she completed a PhD at the University of Strathclyde, examining the social experiences of children and young people with Williams syndrome. Amanda also previously worked as a Research Associate at the University of Edinburgh, working across studies with children with intellectual disabilities and their families.

Dr Laura Hughes McCormack

Laura has been a Research Associate working for the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory at the University of Glasgow since 2015.

She is involved in projects looking at the health of people with learning disabilities in a number of large data-sets, including primary health care records, Scotland's 2011 Census and health records of people born with Down Syndrome in Scotland over a 25 year period.

Laura studied Psychology and has extensive experience of working with people with learning disabilities in her previous roles, for example, as a Befriender, a Learning Assistant and an Assistant Psychologist.

Professor Andrew Jahoda

Andrew Jahoda is the Co-Lead of Solutions Focused Research and Professor of Learning Disabilities in the School of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. He also has an honorary position as a consultant clinical psychologist with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Andrew has worked at Glasgow University since 1998. His research interests concern the mental health and wellbeing of people with intellectual disabilities. This includes work about the impact of stigma and ways of promoting inclusion. Another strand of research is about adapting psychological therapies like CBT and behavioural activation for people with learning disabilities, to make them more accessible and sensitive to people’s lived experience.

Karen Lindsay

Karen joined in June 2024 and is the Administrator for the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory team. Karen graduated in Business Studies and Accountancy from Edinburgh University and has over 25 years of experience in recruitment, including running her own business for over 16 years. Karen brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role.

Dr Anne MacDonald

Anne is the Lead for Learning, Teaching and Scholarship for the Observatory. She is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. In this role she leads on developing and delivering postgraduate qualifications in Positive Behaviour Support for the health and social care workforce, with a focus on people with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenge. Prior to this, Anne worked for nearly 20 years with a third sector social care provider where she managed the organisation’s Positive Behaviour Support team.

Anne also works part-time as a Professional Advisor for Complex Needs in the learning disability policy team at the Scottish Government. As part of this role, she wrote the Scottish Government’s Coming Home report which focused on out-of-area placements and delayed discharge from hospital for people with learning disabilities and complex needs.

Anne is Senior Editor for the International Journal of Positive Behavioural Support. She also chairs the steering group for the Positive Behaviour Support Community of Practice for Scotland.

Roseann Maguire

Roseann is a Researcher with the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory and has worked at the University of Glasgow since 2015. Her previous work includes research on children’s mental health services, children’s rights in education, violence against women, restorative justice, and the lived experiences of disabled people.

Recent projects include:

• The production of an anti-bullying resource to promote understanding and acceptance of people with learning disabilities
• Coronavirus and people with learning disabilities study
• Drumming Up Change – a project which brings young people into contact with people with learning disabilities through community activities in Drumchapel

Dr Arlene McGarty

Arlene is a Research Fellow at the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory. Arlene is interested in lifestyle behaviours (for example, physical activity and sedentary behaviour) and how these impact the health of people with learning disabilities. She is also interested in finding ways to change these behaviours to help people with learning disabilities lead healthier and happier lives. Some of the projects that Arlene works on include:

School-based “active play” for children with learning disabilities.

Understanding walking opportunities in adults with learning disabilities.

Increasing motor development skills in children with learning disabilities.

Measuring energy expenditure in adults with learning disabilities.

Professor Craig Melville

Craig is the Co-Lead of the Determinants of Health and Inequalities Research and Professor of Intellectual Disabilities in the School of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. His work focuses on using evidence from research to inform the development of interventions and policy to improve the health of people with learning disabilities. Craig has worked on clinical trials of complex interventions, such as psychological therapies, weight management and health checks in primary care. Evidence from epidemiological research has been central to the development of these clinical trials and his work with SLDO centres on how to use Scotland’s national datasets to understand and tackle the health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities.

Dr Elliot Millington

Elliot is a Research Assistant with the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory. He recently completed his PhD with the School of Psychology and Neuroscience, also at the University of Glasgow. His thesis explores the links between sensory processing and anxiety in autistic adults. Elliot has a quantitative focus and will be finding insights in large administrative datasets which can reduce the health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities.

Dewy Nijhof

Dewy is a Research Assistant with the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory. She has previously completed internships within the EU-AIMS consortium, a Europe-wide collaboration which aims to gain a better understanding of autism - neurologically, genetically, and behaviourally - and experiences of people with Autism and their families in order to decrease difficulties that are associated with Autism. After finishing her degrees in Psychology and Brain Sciences, she worked in the field of Public Health, where she focused particularly on health inequalities in vulnerable groups within the community.

In her current position with the Observatory, she is able to combine her experience in Public Health and Autism research. She will be focusing on large datasets, such as census and health record data, in order to gain a better understanding of health inequalities experienced by people with Autism in Scotland.

Dr Filip Sosenko

Filip is the Co-Lead for the Determinants of Health and Inequalities research theme. Filip joined the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory in 2021 as a Research Associate. His previous research focused on severe poverty and associated phenomena, such as the use of food banks, homelessness, and ‘complex needs’. A sociologist by background, Filip has a keen interest in health inequalities. He has advanced statistical skills and expertise in research methodology. Filip is currently conducting research into covid-19 outcomes among people with learning disabilities.

Dr Maria Truesdale

Maria is Co-Lead for Solutions Focused Research for the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory. Her goal is to improve the physical and mental health and wellbeing of people with intellectual disabilities and their carers through the evaluation, development and testing of complex interventions using gold standard methodology and inclusive research.

Maria has conducted a number of trials using complex interventions in physical and mental health for people with intellectual disabilities and has played a central part in the development of a randomised control trial of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the DESMOND-ID structured education programme for adults with intellectual disability and type 2 diabetes. This multi-site study is the largest funded trial internationally of a health behaviour intervention for people with an intellectual disability.

Dr Truesdale supports the teaching and delivery of the PGT Positive Behaviour Support programme and contributes to the supervision of MVLS Postgraduate courses, namely MSc in Global Mental Health and MSc in Public Health. She is also the Mental Health and Wellbeing co-lead for Early Career Researchers.

Recent and current projects have been funded by NIHR, ESRC (UK Research and Innovation), Baily Thomas Charitable Fund and The Burdett Trust for Nursing.

Affiliates

Professor Anna Cooper

Anna set up the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory with funding from the Scottish Government.

She wants the Observatory to make Scotland fairer and healthier for people with learning disabilities and their families, by:

Finding out the health problems people have
Finding out how good or bad health care is
Telling people about health and health care problems
Finding ways to make health and health care better
Checking if health gets better or worse over time
Helping the Scottish Government, and staff who provide health and social services, to get it right for people with learning disabilities

Anna is a doctor. She has done a lot of studies on the health of people with learning disabilities.

Anna’s full name is Professor Sally-Ann Cooper.

Angela Henderson

Angela was the Director for Policy and Impact for the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory and remains an affiliate team member, having moved in 2024 to work with the Scottish Government leading the development of annual health checks and learning disabilities data.

Angela is interested in how evidence is used in policy making and was involved in many projects at the Observatory. These included:

Understanding the impact of Covid-19 on people with learning disabilities
The Research Voices Project
Helping to set up the SPIRE learning disabilities data project
Analysing information about drug prescribing for people with learning disabilities

Professor Jill Pell

The Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory is based in the School of Health and Wellbeing at Glasgow University; Professor Jill Pell is Director of this Institute. She is an expert in Public Health.

Jill also has another role as Honorary Consultant in Public Health in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Jill’s main research interests are in:

Long term conditions like diabetes
Maternal and child health
Obesity
Smoking

A lot of her research draws on different administrative data and uses data linkage methods to help answer important public health questions. For example, Jill is leading research which will help to understand the different things associated with additional educational support needs.

Dr Laura Ward

Laura is an Affiliate Associate Researcher at the Observatory with ongoing work about cancer screening, cancer incidence and cancer-related deaths, as well as pain and prescribing in adults with intellectual disabilities/autism.

In 2023, Laura took up the role of Project Manager of the Trusted Research Environment (TRE) at the Health Informatics Centre (HIC) at the University of Dundee. The TRE, or Safe Haven as it is known in Scotland, is responsible for curation and provisioning of NHS Scotland patient data.

Dr Sophie Westrop

Sophie worked with the Observatory as a Research Associate and her ongoing research focus is about understanding the influences on lifestyles of adults with learning disabilities, behaviour change and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Sophie remains an affiliate team member, having moved in early 2024 to take up a lectureship post York St John University. Prior to working at the Observatory, Sophie completed a PhD at the University of Glasgow that considered differences in physical activity and sedentary behaviour between men and women with learning disabilities. Her current work, and previous projects, have related to lifestyle

PhD students

Shylet Njanike

Shylet is at the beginning of her PhD study at University of Glasgow. She is interested in research addressing inequalities and promoting the health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities and their families. Her current research focusses on the lived experiences of Black African families of adults with learning disabilities.

Shylet has experience in caring through looking after her family members with learning disabilities. She worked in the NHS as a nurse before attaining her BSc Specialist Community Health Practitioner-Health Visiting degree at Brunel University London and then worked in the NHS as a Health Visitor.

Prior to starting her PhD study, Shylet completed an MSc Public Health and Health Promotion at Brunel University London in which her project looked at care and caring among BAME populations in the UK.

Christine Pacitti

Christine is in the first year of her PhD work looking at the treatment of pain and painful conditions experienced by adults with learning disabilities focusing on any health inequality that may emerge from this project. She is a clinical pharmacist and previously worked with NHS learning disability psychiatry services providing support with medication for people with learning disabilities and complex health needs. Christine is an experienced carer of a family member with learning disabilities and complex health needs.

Jingyuan Sun

Jingyuan is a doctoral student in mental health. Her research interests are in disabled children, physical activity, and mental health. Her current projects examine the impacts of physical activity on mental health in children with physical disabilities and intellectual disabilities.

Prior to her doctoral studies, Jingyuan received her Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Psychology from the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada, where she also worked as a part-time research assistant on psycholinguistics in the Department of Psychology, and her Master of Science degree in Health Psychology in University College London.

Wattana Tejakum

Wattana is a qualified psychiatric nurse who has previously worked with parents and children with intellectual disabilities and autism at Rajanukul institute in Thailand. He has worked as a lecturer and nursing instructor in Thailand at Praboromarajchanok Institute, Boromarajonani College of Nursing Bangkok, Department of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. His PhD work on nursing and health sciences focuses on the factors that influence resilience in parents of children with intellectual disabilities.

We are a multidisciplinary research group, drawing on expertise from medicine, public health, social sciences, and health informatics.