Meet the team
Dr Brigitta Brandner, Chief Investigator
As a Consultant Anaesthetist at UCLH (FRCA, FFFPMRCA, MD) I developed a strong interest in acute and chronic pain management. I currently lead the Acute Pain Team and also overlook the inpatient chronic pain patient service at UCLH. Teaching and research form an important part of my responsibilities and make life as a consultant challenging and interesting. I am also the lead clinician for vascular anaesthesia working within a world class Multidisciplinary Endovascular Team at UCLH.
Prof Celia Morgan, Principle Investigator
I am interested in the effects of drugs and alcohol on the brain and behaviour. My research has concentrated on examining both the positive and negative effects of recreational drugs on cognition. Through behavioural and neuroimaging studies, I have investigated the chronic effects of relatively new substances such as ketamine, MDMA and mephedrone. My work also has focused on what makes individuals vulnerable to the harmful effects of certain substances, like cannabis. More recently, I have begun to investigate the potentially therapeutic sides of controlled substances in clinical trials aimed at the treatment of addiction.
Anne Lingford-Hughes, Co-investigator
Professor Anne Lingford-Hughes has been Professor of Addiction Biology at Imperial College since 2009. She is also a Consultant Psychiatrist with a particular interest in pharmacological treatments of alcohol problems and comorbidity at Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust. Her research has focused on using neuroimaging and neuropharmacological challenges to characterize the neurobiology of addiction. In particular she has used positron emission tomography (PET) to characterize the dopamine, opioid and GABA-benzodiazepine receptor systems in alcoholism and opiate dependence.
Prof Val Curran, Co-investigator
Val Curran is Director of UCL’s Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Professor of Psychopharmacology and a founding member of the charity Drug Science. Her research is funded by the Medical Research Council and other bodies and includes a current clinical trial to treat cannabis dependence and brain imaging studies contrasting the neural and psychological effects of skunk as opposed to more balanced cannabis. Her research spans a wide range of drugs which act on the brain and are used medically and/or for recreational purposes. Recent talks on cannabis have been to the European Parliament, the House of Lords, the University of Cambridge & the Danish independent state of Christiania. Recent media activities include running the two studies for and appearing in the Channel 4 ‘Drugs Live’ programmes: The Ecstasy Trial and Cannabis on Trial.
Dr Rob Price, Exeter Site Principal Investigator
I am a consultant anaesthetist at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust. I provide generalist anaesthetics services, including colorectal surgery, orthopaedics and obstetrics. I am college tutor for our doctors in training and regularly provide them with teaching and support. I have a commitment to research in the anaesthetic department and to links with the Exeter University Medical School. I originally trained in physics at the universities of Liverpool and Bristol and then worked as a hospital physicist for 5 years before re-training as a medical doctor.
Dr Amy McAndrew, Southwest-based researcher
I have recently completed my PhD in associative learning working to understand the mechanisms involved in basic Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning. Over the past year my research has moved in a more applied direction and I have worked on a number of projects investigating the mechanisms behind alcohol consumption as well as the effectiveness of smoking health related warnings. Additionally I have worked with EDP to assess the effectiveness of current substance misuse interventions within prisons.
Dr Will Lawn, Research Associate
I am a post-doctoral researcher for the KARE trial in London. I recently completed my PhD on reward processing in cigarette and cannabis users. This work has investigated the motivation for, pleasure taken from and learning about drug and non-drug rewards (e.g. chocolate, music, money) in dependent and non-dependent cigarette and cannabis users. I have used a variety of techniques during my PhD including behavioural analysis, fMRI, eye-tracking and pharmacological manipulation. I have also worked with Dr. Adam Winstock on his Global Drug Survey data, investigating use of novel psychoactive substances, and spent time with Dr. Gill Bedi at Columbia University, working with crack cocaine users.
Dr Rob Hill, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD, Psych.D, Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Robert Hill has worked in the field of mental health since 1983. Since 1999 has worked as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist in addictions at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. In addition, he has worked as a Senior Lecturer at Middlesex University, jointly managing a three-year European project focussing on the reduction of patient violence, stress and burnout among community and inpatient mental health personnel in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland and the UK. He has a particular interest in philosophy and holds an MA in Modern European Philosophy.
Dr Jen Harris, Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Dr Jennifer Harris is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist who has a wide range of experience working in both research and clinical practice in the Addictions field. She currently works in a NHS community drug and alcohol team, drawing from MI, CBT, ACT and EMDR approaches to support individuals in their recovery from problematic drug and alcohol use.
Dr Fiona Warren, Statistician
I am based in the Primary Care Department in the Smeall Building at St Luke‘s Campus. My main role is with clinical trials, both within Primary Care and in collaboration with other departments including Sports and Health Sciences, and Psychology. My other areas of work include observational surveys and meta-analysis. Within the KARE trial I have responsibility for all statistical aspects of the trial design and data analysis.
Laura Raymen, Research Assistant
I am currently working as a research assistant on the KARE trial and as an associate lecturer on the Children and Young Person (CYP) improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) Exeter programme. I have recently completed a MSc in Psychological research methods at the University of Exeter, investigating the feasibility of a new presentation anxiety, student wellbeing intervention. I am a trained psychological wellbeing practitioner (PWP) and have previously worked for Somerset NHS IAPT service, delivering low intensity cognitive behavioural therapy to individuals suffering from a range of mood disorders.
Bethan Marsh, Trial Co-ordinator
I am a qualified Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) and the current co-ordinator for the KARE trial in London. I achieved a First Class undergraduate degree in Applied Psychology (Clinical) from the University of Exeter and my dissertation research project concerned the relationship between shyness, anxiety and alcohol use disorders. I have worked as a PWP in both Bristol and Merseyside, delivering evidence based interventions to support people in the self-management of low mood and anxiety disorders.
Meryem Grabski, Postdoctoral Researcher
I am a postdoctoral researcher working on the KARE trial in London. I completed my PhD on craving during tobacco abstinence and the development of cognitive markers to test the effectiveness of novel smoking cessation treatments in 2017. I have used different research methods such as eye-tracking, pharmacological manipulations and ecological momentary assessment to investigate the use of licit and illicit substances. Apart from the KARE trial I am also working on a survey-based study investigating the substance use of young Europeans in the nightlife scene.
Rachel Hannon, Medical Sciences Undergraduate
I am a Medical Sciences student at the University of Exeter and will be working on the KARE trial as part of my Professional Training Year. Psychopharmacology and addiction are my main areas of interest and I intend to pursue such research after I graduate.
Dr Lorna Hardy
I am a postdoctoral researcher working on the KARE trial in Exeter. I completed an ESRC-funded PhD investigating mechanisms underpinning substance dependence and novel interventions in 2018. During this time I also worked on a project evaluating a novel CBT-based intervention for anger in hazardous drinking prisoners.
