Committee Members

Please address all e-mails in the first instance to north.west@bps.org.uk.

Chair
Dr Usha Rani Rout
Usha is currently the Director of MSc Health Psychology Course at the University of Bedfordshire ,Director of Research at the Laxmi Medical Centre and visiting Professor at Utkal University, India. She is an Associate Fellow of the BPS (AFBPsS), Fellow of Royal Society of Arts(FRSA), Fellow of Royal Society of Health(FRSH) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (FRSM). She is a chartered (Health and Occupational) Psychologist (C Psychol). Qualified with an MSc and PhD from the University of Manchester (UMIST). Usha has worked as a lecturer/senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, as a Reader in Psychology at Coventry University and visiting Professor at Indiana State University, USA.

Vice Chair
and Media and Publicity Representative
Tina Thomas
Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Chester.

Tina is a chartered psychologist who has been teaching psychology to undergraduates and postgraduates for the last 12 years. Her teaching areas are mainly in organisational psychology and research methods, although she has taught in the areas of social psychology and individual differences. Tina is currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Chester and previously had taught at DeMontfort University in Leicester. Tina has been involved in a number of commercial projects both in collabration and independently and holds certificates of competence in occupational testing (Level A and Level B).

Tina is a full member of the British Psychological Society Division of Teachers and Researchers (DTR), a member of the Division of Occupational Psychology (DOP) and of the Division of Counselling Psychology (DCOP). She is also a member of the Special Group in Coaching Psychology (SGCP) and is an active member of the BPS nothwest branch were she currently serves as their
media and publicity representative. Tina works commercially carrying out organisational research and psychometric testing in a variety of setting and has
led commercially based academic courses in leadership and management for the DFES and the NHS. Her research interests are in social support in organisations and the influence of individual differences on the experience of stress and trauma in high risk occupations.

Honorary Secretary
and Website Content Manager
Dr Ming Wai Wan
Centre for Women's Mental Health Research, University Place, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL. m.w.wan@manchester.ac.uk

Our Honorary Secretary has been a member of the Society for 11 years and a Branch committee member since 2001. Ming Wai is proactive about promoting psychology through organising and assisting in Branch events, conferences and school careers events, co-ordinating the Branch's Student Writing Competition, and has managed the website since 2002. As such, she endeavours to keep this website up-to-date. Ming Wai has previously taken up Office as Honorary Secretary (2003-2005), and at other times has been found under other guises: newsletter editor, shadow secretary and PsyPAG representative. Ming Wai is also a member of the BPS Developmental Section, and served on its Committee for five years.

Ming Wai is a Developmental Psychologist Research Fellow, based in Psychiatry at the University of Manchester. Her research interests in child development are varied, but focus particularly on early child-mother attachment relationships in specific clinical contexts, mainly in terms of maternal mental health. She has published research internationally, supervised masters and undergraduate project students, and taught at various HE institutions in the north west. She completed her MSc and PhD at the University of Manchester and her BSc at Lancaster University.

PsyPAG Representative
?

Member of the Forensic Research Group: psychology and law, homocide, offender profiling, assessment for the courts. Further information about Mike's research: http://www.did.stu.mmu.ac.uk/psy_speech/forensic/frgstaff.htm#groupstaff

Helen Ullmer
Email: helenullmer@hotmail.com
I been a member of the North West of England Branch for seven years and this is the third year I have been Honorary Secretary for the Committee. I came into psychology through a non-traditional route, having a first degree in Business Studies, seven years of experience in business and marketing, but I've finally got here! I successfully completed an MSc Psychology Conversion programme in 2003, which allowed me to apply for Assistant Posts. I worked in a CAHMS team for two years which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am now working in a split post of research and clinical and have been in this post about 10 months. My clinical work involves working with patients with breast cancer in an acute medical setting. This is vastly different from the mental health experience I had and has taken a while to adjust but is providing extremely fulfilling yet at the same time very humbling. The research side of the post is looking into areas of breast cancer and I am fortunate to be part of these projects as it is providing invaluable experience for me and I feel like I am learning something new every day I go to work.

I will be applying for the Clinical Doctorate programme this year (third time lucky!) I am an active member of the Committee and have helped to organise events, contribute to meetings, and I have been the Media Officer for the Committee.

Dr Peter Banister CPsychol AFBPsS CSci

I graduated from Durham University in Psychology, and went on to successfully complete a PhD there on the Cognitive Effects of Long Term Imprisonment. I have worked in a variety of contexts, including approved schools and prisons as a forensic psychologist. I am a Chartered Forensic Psychologist and a Chartered Health Psychologist, and a member of the DTRP.

My current definitive post is Head of Department of Psychology and Social Change at Manchester Metropolitan University, where I lecture in Criminology, Social Psychology and Qualitative Methods, and I am the Director of the BPS accredited MSc in Forensic Psychology. I have published in the areas of prisons, qualitative methods and curriculum development.

In addition I am an Open University Lecturer in Social Psychology, and a QAA Auditor. I am a Trustee and the current Chair of the Membership and Professional Training Board of the BPS, I have been the Chair of the Graduate Qualifications Accreditation Committee, and I am currently a committee member of the British Psychological North West. I have been actively involved in the Psychology curriculum at a national level, including QAA Benchmarking to Psychology in schools and FE colleges. I am also the current Chair of the Association of Heads of Psychology Departments.

I graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a BSc (hons) in Forensic Psychology in 2004, after deciding to go for it and make the first move to find a career in a subject I had genuine passion for. After graduating I went travelling for a year and am now busy applying for positions but am finding it difficult without the relevant experience. I therefore joined the committee last year to gain valuable contacts, learn from colleagues’ experiences and take part in organised events.

Ideally, I would like to work with the police or Probation Service and have recently applied to join the 'Specials'.

Dr Shirley J Pressler

Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Division of Psychology, School of Human and Health Sciences, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH.Tel: 01484 473354 s.j.pressler@hud.ac.uk

I returned to higher education as a mature student, taking my first degree at Bolton Institute and studying for my PhD, which was awarded by Manchester University , also at Bolton Institute. I have lectured at Bolton Institute, University College Northampton, St Martin 's College, Edge Hill and currently The University of Huddersfield. I have worked as an Associate Lecturer for The Open University in the Southern Region, and also in the North West .

I am a member of the Developmental Section, the Women's Section, am a Chartered Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the Society.

In my lecturing role my main teaching commitments revolve around research methods and developmental psychology. I also have an interest in Childhood and The Children’s Agenda. With The Open University I have taught at summer school, both in reality as well as online. In the Southern Region I tutored on the Masters in Education Programme on ED840 Child Development in Schools, families and Society, and more recently for the North West region on U212 'Childhood", which forms part of the Childhood and Youth Programme. I have also been involved in researching and developing supported online teaching.

My doctoral work 'Analogical Reasoning and Problem Solving; Modelling and Instruction' evaluated models of analogy and involved training children to solve verbal analogies. My research interests generally concern issues relating to developmental growth, especially in an applied educational context, and in respect of the impact of the social world on cognitive development. My specific current research interests reflect my interest in teaching and learning, particularly with respect to the education of children, but I have recently moved this on to also include adult populations. I am currently researching problem solving by analogy in a social context, by way of investigating children’s ‘talk’ in the classroom. I am also involved in several other research projects with colleagues.

Since joining the NW Branch committee I have enjoyed getting to know, and sharing experiences with, colleagues on the Committee. I very much support the mission statement of the Branch, where I feel I share with others a genuine concern for the credibility and future of psychology.

Sarah Pitt-Tennant

Sarah graduated in Psychology from Manchester University . Her academic interests include human performance and motivation. She works freelance delivering stress management and motivational workshops to industry and advises on occupational health issues. Sarah aspires to become an occupational psychologist.

Kath Tyldesley

Polly Sangar

James Bourton

Jenn Doran

Katy Briggs