Miss Daniella Watson BSc, MSc

Senior Research Assistant, PhD Student,Trainee Health Psychologist

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@DaniellaWatson_

I am a senior research assistant and PhD student on the NIHR funded Global Health project “Improved Nutrition Preconception Pregnancy Post-Delivery (INPreP)”, based in three countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana, and South Africa). I support Prof Kate Ward and the team with scientific coordination of the six work packages and four international research teams.

My current research interests are community engagement and behaviour change when designing and developing maternal and child nutrition interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. I am involved in modifying and implementing a participatory priority setting tool; CHAT (Choosing All Together). This tool aims to empower community members to prioritise maternal and child nutrition interventions within their communities. I also won the NIHR SPARC award to learn about Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) groups, with supervisors at University College London and research teams in India.

I am also completing my Health Psychology Stage Two training. Through this qualification I have developed consultancy skills by providing expertise on various COVID-19 projects, became a trainer and member of the Faculty of Healthy Conversations Skills, and have taught on medicine and psychology degrees.

I am also a policy associate at Public Policy Southampton for the Preconception Partnership. In this role I am conducting a policy review and stakeholder engagement analysis on interconception to identify opportunities and gaps for possible interconception models.

Between my degrees, I volunteered as a team leader on health projects in Rajasthan, India, and then in the US Virgin Islands, Caribbean as a base manager for a natural disaster relief charity.

Qualifications

BSc, Psychology, University of Southampton, 2015
MSc, Health Psychology, University of Bath, 2016

Present appointments

Senior Research Assistant, Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton
PhD student, Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton
Trainee Health Psychologist, British Psychological Society,
Policy Associate, Public Policy Southampton, University of Southampton