I have a background in Health Psychology, with a research portfolio that spans public health and focuses on maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, and LGBTQIA+ health. My work is framed through a health inequalities lens, aiming to address systemic inequalities and improve outcomes for underserved communities. I am an experienced mixed-methods researcher with experience of leading and delivering local, national, and international projects

Current Research Projects

• ESCC Research Collaboration Hub (RCH) (Co-I and work package lead)
• GambLGBTQ+Understanding Gambling in LGBTQ+ communities (Co-PI)
• AHRC Coastal Community & Creative Health (Co-I and work package lead)
• NIHR - Investigating the Role of Theatre-in-Education in Preventing Illicit Substance Use (Co-I)
• Access and expeiences of healthcare in Japan for trans, non-binary, and x-gender people: A systematic review (Co-I)

Past Research Projects

• Health Counts 2024: A city wide health survey of Brighton & Hove. Brighton and Hove City Council (Co-I)
• LGBT+ Gambling systematic scoping review - GambleAware  (Co-I)
• Council of Europe - LGBTQI+ Access to Healthcare (Co-PI)
• Utilization and readiness of sexual and reproductive health servicesealth systems analysis and evaluations of the barriers to availability, utilization and readiness of sexual and reproductive health services in COVID-19 affected areas - World Health Organization (acting PI and leading researcher)
• Investigating the impact of Covid-19 on local communities within East Sussex - East Sussex County Council (Co-PI)
• Implementing Family Integrated Care in Zambia - University of Brighton Interdisciplinary Research Initiative (PI)
• 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) (Co-I)
• Diabetes UK Community Champions Evaluation (North West Surrey CCG) (Co-I)
• Best Practice in Occupational Health (Network Rail) (Co-I)
• Evaluation of Care Navigation as part of the Right Person First initiative (CANE - Care Navigation Evaluation). (Co-I)
• FuelPre (Fuel Poverty Reduction Evaluation). Evaluation of the NHS Hastings & Rother Clinical Commissioning Group Healthy Homes Programme (lead reseacrher)
• A better understanding what makes for effective conversations about alcohol between parents & their 15-17 year olds. Drinkaware. (Co-I)
• Evaluation of the Education, Training, Volunteering & Employment (ETVE) Project for People Living with HIV (PLWHIV) (Co-I) 
• Older people living with HIV in residential care homes. Extension to the Education, Training, Volunteering & Employment (ETVE) project (Co-I)

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

Former PhD students

• Arthur Gaillard - Production of knowledge in Sport for Developmen

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 reproductive health;
• lgbtq+ health;
• maternal mental health.

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