Iliatha works within the Division for Care in Long Term Conditions, working in global health, diabetes and mental health. She is a registered health psychologist with a research focus on behavioural interventions; integrating mental and physical health within long term conditions. She is currently working within global health and diabetes, in lower and middle-income countries such as Thailand, India, and Malaysia.

Iliatha first started her research career as a research psychologist for a large clinical trial on physical activity as an aid to smoking cessation during pregnancy. In conjunction with this, she worked towards her PhD (awarded 2013), investigating the phenomenon of behavioural changes within dementia and food-related processes, as well as a certificate in health psychology (awarded chartered membership; registered psychologist, 2013) from the University of Surrey.

She has also worked as a assistant professor at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), 2018 to 2022 and has continued links with LSHTM as an honorary lecturer. Prior to this, Iliatha worked at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s Collage London as a research fellow and project manager leading on UK based complex interventions involving integrating psychosocial care within physical health care as well as integrating diabetes within severe mental illness. Here, she contributed towards the implementation and continuation of an integrated service across King’s Health Partners and was nominated for an HJS award (2018).

Iliatha has since focused her research within lower- and middle-income countries, developing and evaluating behavioural interventions (including peer education and digital platforms) in diabetes and stroke care. In addition, she is co investigator on a large UK based diabetes distress programme, leading the co design work-package.

Iliatha leads the Faculty's elective placements and the Jikei Exchange Programme. She lectures at the Centre for Global Mental Health and supervises MSc and PhD students.

Current research topics

• Improving Health and Well-being of Adults with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in Indonesia: Developing a Personalised Behavioural Change Intervention Using the Behavioural Change Wheel (BCW) Framework and Partnership Approaches
• Adapting the D-stress care pathway, originally designed for Type 1 Diabetes, for adults with Type 2 Diabetes
• A Feasibility Trial of a New Women’s Wellness Type 2 Diabetes Programme optimised for midlife women in the UK

Research Interests

• Diabetes
• Global Health
• Integrating mental and psychical health

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