Dr Brooke Swash
Senior Lecturer
Biography
Brooke is a Chartered Psychologist with expertise in health psychology and in qualitative research methods. She is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology and Deputy Programme Leader for the MSc Applied Psychology. Brooke began her academic journey studying for an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science at the University of Sheffield, after which she went on to achieve an MEd in Psychology of Education at the University of Manchester. After a period of clinical work within NHS mental health services, Brooke began her PhD in Psychology at the University of Chester where her PhD thesis focussed on the unmet psychosocial needs of adults with a diagnosis of haematological cancer. After completing her PhD, Brooke took up her post as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge, working on projects within the Palliative and End of Life Care Group. Brooke remains a Visiting Researcher at the University of Cambridge. Brooke holds a PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education.
Teaching and Supervision
Brooke contributes to both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in the School of Psychology. Her teaching is in the areas of clinical and health psychology and in qualitative research methods. Brooke also supervises research dissertations at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Research and Knowledge Exchange
Brooke is an active researcher, with expertise in understanding the psychological impact and support needs of patients and families at the end of life. Brooke has a particular interest in understanding the patient experience of illness in order to better target effective healthcare support and interventions for both patients and families. Current projects include the development of psychological interventions for people with cancer who are receiving palliative care, seeking to understand the cancer experience for caregivers, and the development of a programme of work to include psychological support for healthcare staff who work in the palliative care setting.