Alexandra Sawyer

Alexandra is a mixed methods researcher with a background in Health Psychology. Her particular research interests and expertise lie in the areas of maternal and child health, and include preterm birth and its impact on families; parents' experiences of participating in neonatal trials; and maternal mental health. More recently her research has focused on evaluating interventions designed to reduce health inequalities. 

Current Research Projects

• Best Practice in Occupational Health (Network Rail)
• Implementing Family Integrated Care in Zambia - University of Brighton Interdisciplinary Research Initiative 
• Diabetes UK Community Champions Evaluation (North West Surrey CCG)
• WHO ProSPeRero: Project on Sexually Transmitted Infection Point-of-care Testin - Clinic based evaluation of SD BIOLINE HIV/Syphilis Duo (Alere) and DPP® HIV-Syphilis Assay (Chembio) for the screening of HIV and syphilis in men who have sex with men in in the STI screening facilities of Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom (UK)

Previous Research Projects

• Evaluation of Care Navigation as part of the Right Person First initiative (CANE - Care Navigation Evaluation).
• FuelPre (Fuel Poverty Reduction Evaluation). Evaluation of the NHS Hastings & Rother Clinical Commissioning Group Healthy Homes Programme
• A better understanding what makes for effective conversations about alcohol between parents & their 15-17 year olds. Drinkware.
• Evaluation of the Education, Training, Volunteering & Employment (ETVE) Project for People Living with HIV (PLWHIV)
• Older people living with HIV in residential care homes. Extension to the Education, Training, Volunteering & Employment (ETVE) project

Alexandra completed her PhD at the University of Sussex (2011), which was supervised by Professor Susan Ayers, exploring psychological adjustment after childbirth in the UK and The Gambia. Alexandra then worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Sussex and City University London on a NIHR funded programme of research looking at improving care during very preterm birth. During this role she managed a number of studies including a qualitative study exploring parents' experiences of care during very preterm birth, a questionnaire development study of a measure to explore parents' experiences of care during very preterm birth, and a qualitative study exploring women's and clinicians' experiences of consent during a neonatal trial.

Alexandra joined the School of Health Sciences, University of Brighton, as a Research Fellow in 2015.

Alexandra is also a Chartered Psychologist

Current PhD students

• Arthur Gaillard - Production of knowledge in Sport for Development
• Diroshi Neththikumara Haththellage - Being a woman in Sri Lanka; a phenomenological approach

I am interested in supervising Masters and PhD students in all areas of health psychology, health promotion, and public health. Particular interests include:

• preterm birth and its impact on families;
• parents' experiences of participating in neonatal trials;
• sexual and reproductove health;
• maternal mental health.

I currently teach on the MSc Health Promotion module Principles of Health Promotion. I also supervise Masters student dissertations.