Dr Catriona Connell

Dr Catriona Connell

Lecturer
Napier University

Dr Catriona Connell joined Edinburgh Napier University as a Lecturer on the integrated Allied Health Professions and Social Work Masters Programme in October 2019. Catriona’s utilises mixed-methods in research focused on advancing positive community outcomes for people with criminal justice involvement.
Prior to this position, Catriona was an NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellow, completing a PhD by research whilst maintaining practice responsibilities as an occupational therapist in services for people with a diagnosis of personality disorder, and in forensic mental health. Catriona’s doctoral research was an intervention development study, resulting in an intervention to meet the rehabilitative needs of people on probation.
With funding from the EU via a COST action Catriona has been involved in international research and practice collaborations to understand why some people stay an above average length of time in forensic services. The Royal College of Occupational Therapists awarded Catriona an Innovation Award to expand her research into forensic occupational therapy across Europe.
Catriona is a Member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and recently completed a term on the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Board for Research and Development. She is an advisor to the Research Working Group for the NHS England Secure Care Clinical Reference Group, and provide research capacity development and consultancy to the Scottish Forensic Allied Health Professionals Network.
Catriona is interested in the potential of applying established methodological approaches from different disciplines in novel ways to answer research questions that evade traditional methodologies, and in conducting research that results in improved quality of life for people facing challenges in their daily activities.

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