Applied Health Psychology

Jane Speight is the Director of AHP Research, a company she established in 2004. She is a Chartered Health Psychologist, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a member of several professional organisations.

Jane has over fourteen years' experience in the improvement of healthcare and specialises in designing and conducting studies involving the assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and other patient reported outcomes. (PRO's) Her research interests include the measurement and improvement of quality of life in people with chronic illness, and the development of appropriate psychological measures for the evaluation of new treatments, medical devices and interventions.

Jane has specific expertise and a special interest in the psychosocial aspects of diabetes management. Amongst other projects, she is particularly proud to have been a member of the Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating (DAFNE) Study Group, evaluating the psychological outcomes of flexible intensive insulin therapy for the first time in the UK. Her current work in diabetes includes analysis of long-term outcomes of the original DAFNE cohort, collaboration with the UK Islet Transplant Consortium to investigate the impact of islet transplants on quality of life, and a qualitative study of the impact of insulin pump therapy on quality of life.

Jane has undertaken consultancy and research projects with pharmaceutical clients in the UK, Belgium and the USA as well as with other medical device, private healthcare, NHS and charitable organisations. Her recent work has included a review of scales of positive mental health (commissioned by NHS Health Scotland), and projects in macular disease, polycystic ovary syndrome and restless legs syndrome.