Dr Diana Ramsey is a Professional Lead for AHPs in CAMHS and Specialist Services in Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Diana's research interests include exploring the role of occupation and engagement in activity in its broadest sense and its importance to health, enablement and recovery in working with people with a learning disability, those with neurodivergent needs and children and young people with mental health needs. She is an Occupational Therapist with over 20 years' experience who undertook her PhD at The University of Brighton and explored the lived experience of paid work for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Diana has a strong belief in applied research being at the core part of clinical practice, co-produced with the population being supported. She valued working in partnership with Dr David Haines and Amanda Knowles in using action research in clinical practice, developing a prototype of the Supporting Engaging Environments clinical reasoning tool to be used by Occupational Therapists working with people with a learning disability.
Diana was the ARC KSS Darzi Fellow (2021-22). She greatly enjoyed the opportunities offered to her through the fellowship, to work in partnership with the many members of the ARC KSS to support their vision to empower and stimulate NHS health and social care professionals and NHS organisations to grow their research activity and capacity. During her fellowship year she created, in partnership and with the support of others in KSS 'The Good Lives Research Network' and 'Your Quick Guide to H&SC Research'. This passion for building research capacity continues in her current role within SPFT where she leads for Research and Innovation for AHPs and with CAMHS and SS, winning with the Clinical Academic Group she co-chairs, a Research Support Award in 2023 from the CRN for the work being undertaken to build research and innovation in the division.