Leading health behaviour change psychologist joins Manchester

10 Jul 2013 A leading clinical and health psychologist who specialises in motivating health behaviour change - including treatments to help smokers give up - has accepted a role of Chair at The University of Manchester. Professor Belinda Borrelli, a Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Program in Nicotine and Tobacco Research at Brown Medical School and The Miriam Hospital in the USA and will work in the University's School of Psychological Sciences as a Visiting Professor. Professor Borrelli has made significant contributions to the field of Health Psychology. Her work includes developing and testing treatments to motivate smoking cessation, well as treatments that encourage patients to take their medication, and follow medical plans and treatments in chronic diseases (like asthma, cystic fibrosis and sleep apnea), and increase oral health and dietary behaviours. Moreover, Professor Borrelli is known for conducting high quality, longitudinal research in inner city, low income and understudied populations. Professor Borrelli has been nominated for numerous teaching awards and has provided mentorship to many psychology students and postdoctoral fellows over the past 18 years, many of whom are now conducting their own research in smoking cessation and health behaviour change. She has also trained scores of of health care workers in motivational ing to help patients change their behaviours and improve their health, both in the United States and internationally.