Dr Grace Lavelle

Dr Grace Lavelle joined King’s College London in 2019 and is a Research Fellow in the Department of Psychological Medicine. In 2021, Grace was appointed to her current position as a member of the IMPARTS team, which was a service developed to improve the support available for patients experiencing psychological distress such as anxiety, low mood or depression, while receiving treatment for a physical health condition. Her current role includes overseeing the research and education arm of the programme, in addition to leading the co-production of an Online Peer Support Platform for people with long-term conditions.

Grace has 10 years research experience running large-scale clinical trials, crossing the domains of both physical and mental health conditions. Grace’s research interests are rooted in advancing the management of a variety of long-term physical health conditions, as well as improving service-users’ experiences and involvement in driving research. She has a keen interest in public engagement and co-production work, to help better our understanding of the interplay between physical and mental health.

Previous work has included managing a research work package for people with Major Depressive Disorder, as part of a large-scale European project examining the potential of remote technology as an observational modality and potential intervention. Her work has spanned both qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods studies, including validity and reliability studies, systematic literature reviews, randomised controlled trials, economic evaluations, and process evaluations, across multiple long-term conditions including cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s Disease and major depressive disorder.

Research Interests

• Interplay between Physical and Mental Health

• Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)

• Co-Production of Novel Interventions

• Qualitative research methods

• Peer Support

• Cerebral Palsy

Education and Training

2011-2015
PhD, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin

2007-2011
BSc in Physiotherapy, Trinity College Dublin (First Class Hons)