Profile
Nicola O'Donnell
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About Me:
I live in Suffolk with my husband and our 3 cats Julio, Pepe, and Rupert. I’m a PhD student in the area of childhood cancer and a part time research assistant within health sciences and health psychology!
I love going to gym classes, cooking, and spending time with my friends.
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My Typical Day:
The beauty of my working days is that they rarely look the same! You also might notice that I work at universities at opposite ends of the country…remote working has made this a possibility!
On a PhD day (typically 3 days a week) I wake up and go for a run/go to a gym class. When I get home and have had breakfast I turn my laptop on and start getting on with any tasks for the day (this might be reading relevant articles, writing protocols, or having meetings).
On a research assistant day I will start my day off in the same way, but log into teams at 9am before attending a team supervision. After that I am usually found talking to parents, writing articles, or delivering our parent workshops online.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I am passionate about working WITH others to develop meaningful impact from my research. For example, in my PhD I am working with young people who have had cancer, as they are the experts on this topic, not me! If I was to win the prize money I would like to spend it on different ways of engagement to include under-represented people in research. For example, holding an engagement event graffiti workshop or on a podcast!
I would also like to take the topic of health psychology into secondary schools, as this is an area of the field that is less known about (I didn’t know what health psychology was until the end of my degree!) I would love to widen access to the topic and get more young people involved and inspired.
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Education:
Farlingaye High School, Woodbridge.
University of Kent, Canterbury.
University of Sussex, Falmer.
University College London, Bloomsbury.
University of York, York.
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Qualifications:
GCSES:
Sociology: A*
English Literature: A
English Language: A
Music: A
French: A
Business Studies: B
Art: B
Science: B x2
Maths: C
AS-Levels:
English literature: B
A-Levels:
Psychology: A
Health and Social Care: B
Photography: B
General Studies: B
Undergraduate Degree:
BSc (Hons) Applied Psychology with Clinical Psychology – 1st
Postgraduate certificate:
Low Intensity Psychological Interventions for Children and Young People – Merit
Masters:
MSc Health Psychology – Distinction
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Work History:
09/14 – 08/15 Child Health and Paediatrics, East Kent University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – Honorary Assistant Psychologist
10/15 – 05/16 Child Development Unit, University of Kent – Research Assistant
06/16 – 09/17 Community Children and Young People’s Services, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust – Assistant Psychologist
09/17 – 04/18 Community Children and Young People’s Services, North East London Foundation Trust – Assistant Psychologist
04/18 – 12/18 Community All Age Eating Disorder’s Service, North East London Foundation Trust – Assistant Psychologist
12/18-08/20 Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services, North East London Foundation Trust – Band 6 Multi-Disciplinary Pathway Worker/Therapist
08/20-09/21 Cambridge Lifespan Autism Spectrum Service, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust – Psychology Research Assistant
11/20-Present Department of Psychological Interventions, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University of Surrey – Psychology Research Assistant
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Current Job:
PhD student at University of York
Research Assistant at University of Surrey
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Vegan psychology runner.
What did you want to be after you left school?
A psychologist!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
I once ran away from my teacher when he said I couldn't leave the room...but I felt so bad I went back after the lesson to apologise!!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
John Mayer or Jessie Ware
What's your favourite food?
Vegan burgers!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Health, happiness, and a successful clinical academic career within paediatric oncology.
Tell us a joke.
How many psychologists does it take to change a lightbulb? Just one, so long as the light bulb *wants* to change.
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