Rate My Professor Vanessa Lawrence

Professor Vanessa Lawrence is the Professor of Qualitative Health Research in the Department of Health Service and Population Research within the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. She holds a first degree in psychology and earned her PhD from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, where she applied grounded theory methodology to examine the subjective experiences of individuals living with dementia and their caregivers in multicultural Britain. Following her doctoral research, she co-authored the book Managing Dementia in a Multicultural Society (Wiley), which provides guidance on delivering culturally sensitive dementia care. Professor Lawrence serves as the PhD Admissions Tutor for her department, Academic Lead for the MSc module ‘Qualitative Research: Principles, Methods and Practice,’ and the IoPPN Summer School course ‘Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods.’ She offers a Qualitative Research Advisory Service to staff and students and is a member of the interdisciplinary Qualitative Research Group at King’s College London. Additionally, she provides teaching, supervision, and advice on qualitative methods to postgraduate and undergraduate students across King’s Health Partners.

Professor Lawrence designs and conducts high-quality applied qualitative research, using traditional and innovative data collection methods to develop, evaluate, and implement therapeutic interventions grounded in service users’ lived experiences. Her particular interests include older adults’ mental health, recovery, and eating disorders. Current research focuses on management strategies for visual hallucinations in older adults, problem-solving therapy for people with dementia, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for individuals with motor neuron disease, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for older people with treatment-resistant anxiety. She is affiliated with the King’s Clinical Trials Unit, providing expert advice on qualitative methods in clinical trials across King’s Health Partners. As Associate Editor for Qualitative Research at the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, she contributes to the field. Her research portfolio comprises over 120 outputs, including recent publications such as ‘Co-producing an online platform for people with long-term physical health conditions: A development and usability study’ (2026, Journal of Medical Internet Research), ‘The treatment experiences of women with perinatal OCD on Mother and Baby Units: qualitative investigation of the perspectives of women and professionals’ (2026, BJPsych Open), ‘Characteristics of mental health service users attending Recovery Colleges in England’ (2026, BJPsych Bulletin), and studies on peer support safety and recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome. Professor Lawrence participates in 34 projects, including those funded by NIHR, MRC, Psychiatry Research Trust, and Wellcome Trust.