Angus Macbeth

Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology

Biography

Background

I joined the School of Health in Social Sciences in 2014 as a Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, becoming a Senior Lecturer in 2019. I am a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychology Society.  I also work with NHS Grampian as an Honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist. Prior to coming to Edinburgh I completed my PhD research at the University of Glasgow with Professor Andrew Gumley, obtained a DClinPsychol from University of Glasgow and worked as a Clinical Psychologist with NHS Grampian in the rural setting of Dr Gray’s Hospital, Elgin.  From 2012 – 2014 I was an NRS Career Research Fellow, funded by NHS Research Scotland.

I am an Associate Editor for Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice and a member of the Steering group for the NHS Scotland Perinatal Mental Health Managed Care Network.

Responsibilities & affiliations

I am the current Director of Research for the School of Health in Social Science.

Postgraduate teaching

 

  • Doctorate in Clinical Psychology:  contribution to CP1  on complex mental health problems; Advanced Practice Seminars on psychosis.
  • MSc Global Mental Health and Society: Course Organiser for Interdisciplinary Approaches to Global Mental Health
  • MSc Dissertation supervision across the Section of Clinical and Health Psychology

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Areas of interest for supervision

I supervise PhD students across the full range of my research interests.

Research summary

Angus' research focuses on social determinants of mental health, specifically how mental health risk and resilience factors are transmitted intergenerationally, and how these can inform identification, treatment and recovery from mental health difficulties. He uses a lifespan approach to mental health, focused particularly on the perinatal period, from antenatal to infancy, and how it can inform our understanding of the development of risk and resilience factors both in the parental and offspring generation. This has the potential to lead to preventative or early intervention paradigms for mental health and wellbeing. In doing so, his research focuses on global health priorities and sustainable development goals, given the growing burden of mental disorder across the world and the challenge of developing better mental wellbeing and developmental outcomes for the next generation.

Angus’ work uses different methods including longitudinal observational cohort studies, linkage of routine and 'big' data, treatment studies and data synthesis to better understand the impact of parental mental health during pregnancy - both for parents and their children. He is also interested in how developmental perspectives can inform the understanding of existing mental health conditions and inform interventions, health and social systems, and policy programming. His work has been funded by the UKRI MRC and Wellcome Trust, working with public health systems, academic partners, NGOs and UNICEF, and including projects in the UK, Denmark, Malawi, Chile, Moldova and Tajikistan.

From a clinical perspective, his work is broadly concerned with how we can better integrate psychological approaches to mental health into health and social care, incorproating consideration of global mental health challenges and priorities in both high and resource settings.

Within the University of Edinburgh he is a member of the Centre for Applied Developmental Psychology, Edinburgh Neuroscience and the Global Mental Health Research Network.

Research interests

  • Intergenerational Mental Health, Perinatal mental health and developmental psychopathology. 
  • Global mental health.
  • Complex mental heath: Psychotic disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders and complex psychopathology.
  • Evidence-based mental health.

Collaborations

Alongside collaborations within University of Edinburgh I have external collaborations with the University of Aberdeen (Professor Philip Wilson, Professor David St Clair, Dr Sohinee Bhattacharya, Dr Lucy Thompson), University of Glasgow (Professor Andrew Gumley, Dr Hamish McLeod, Dr Helen Minnis), University of Copenhagen Dr (Dr Susanne Harder), University of Southern Denmark (Dr Kirstine Davidsen), the Centre for Metacognitive Therapy, Rome (Dr Giancarlo Dimaggio), and the Pontifica Unversidad Catolica de Chile (Dr Chamaritta Farkas). I have a number of NHS collaborations, particularly in NHS Lothian and NHS Grampian.

Affiliated research centres

  • Centre for Applied Developmental Psychology

View all 89 publications on Research Explorer

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