Staff Profile

I am a clinical academic occupational therapist leading research to develop and implement an occupation-based complex intervention to help people with Parkinson's live well with anxiety. For over 15 years, I have worked to improve the lives of people with neurological conditions. With experience working across a range of acute and sub-acute rehabilitation services, I endeavour to bring my enthusiasm for meaningful occupation to every role.

My research aims to improve the lives of people with Parkinson's, resulting in multiple grant and fellowship awards. My recent project has been to co-produce and feasibility-test a new occupation-based complex intervention for living well with anxiety and Parkinson's (OBtAIN-PD). This work is driven by the urgent need to find solutions to assist individuals with Parkinson's in living well with anxiety, a dedication to contributing to the evidence base of the profession, and copious amounts of coffee. As a Clinical Research Fellow in Patient Safety at the Newcastle PSRC, I contribute to developing and inspiring the next generation of clinical academic researchers as part of the Academic Career Development theme.

I am dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with Parkinson's and other neurological conditions. My primary focus is on assisting individuals with Parkinson's in managing anxiety and improving their quality of life through meaningful daily activities. I take a biopsychosocial approach, emphasizing lifestyle management to help them re-engage in activities that are important to them. I am interested in research collaborations looking at these groups and approaches, particularly complex intervention development and implementation that meaningfully involve stakeholders. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in working together.

I look forward to hearing from you.

To date, I have received over £500k in grant funding. All of my work is deeply rooted in meaningful involvement from stakeholders.

Current programmes of research

• Developing an occupation-based complex intervention for living well with anxiety and Parkinson's (OBtAIN-PD): Co-production of a complex intervention to help people with Parkinson's live well with anxiety, including feasibility testing. Funded by the NIHR as an ICA Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship (NIHR301565, £388, 471).

I welcome the opportunity to connect with anyone interested in expanding their knowledge alongside me.

I am available for research supervision and training, particularly in the areas of everyday health behaviours of people with Parkinson's and other neurological conditions, especially if there is a focus on anxiety and meaningful participation in activities to promote overall well-being. I am also open to collaborative projects involving evidence synthesis or complex intervention research methods incorporating stakeholder involvement in these populations.

My teaching experience spans occupational therapy, cognition, perception, behaviour, and applied research methods. I have conducted teaching sessions for diverse audiences in various settings, including health and care professionals.

I am strongly dedicated to expanding clinical research capacity to enhance healthcare and health outcomes and supporting practising clinicians in pursuing clinical academic careers. I have worked on building clinical research capacity for allied health professionals at a regional level. Additionally, I have mentored and supervised health professionals, including nurses and allied health professionals, at the internship and pre-doctoral levels.

I am proud to be an honorary lecturer at the University of Plymouth. I teach on the BSc and MSc Occupational Therapy programs and the MSc Advanced Professional Practice in Neurological Rehabilitation.

• Articles

  • Hunter H, Lovegrove CJ, Haas B, Freeman J, Gunn H. Experiences of people with Parkinson's disease and their views of physical activity interventions: a qualitative systematic review protocol. JBI Evidence Synthesis 2024, 11(15).
  • Lovegrove CJ, Sturkenboom IHWM, Marsden J, Bannigan K. Concept Mapping to Define Components for an Occupation-Based Intervention for Parkinson's Disease and Anxiety. Journal of Parkinson's Disease 2024, 14, 181-195.
  • Kinsey D, Febrey S, Briscoe S, Kneale D, Thompson Coon J, Carrieri D, Lovegrove CJ, McGrath J, Hemsley A, Melendez-Torres GJ, Shaw L, Nunns M. Impact of interventions to improve recovery of older adults following planned hospital admission on quality-of-life following discharge: linked-evidence synthesis. Health and Social Care Delivery Research 2023, 11(23).
  • Lovegrove CJ, Marsden J, Smith M, Sturkenboom IHWM, Bannigan K. Characteristics of Occupational Therapy Interventions for Community-Dwelling Adults With Anxiety: Protocol for a Scoping Review. JMIR Research Protocols 2022, 12.
  • Lovegrove CJ, Bannigan K. What is the lived experience of anxiety for people with Parkinson's? A phenomenological study. PLOS ONE 2021, 16(4).
  • Lovegrove CJ, Marsden J. Service evaluation of an acute Parkinson's therapy pathway between hospital and home. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation 2020, 27(7).
  • Hough M, Githens-Mazer G, Lovegrove CJ, Oram R, Shepherd M. Renal nurses lived experience of discussions about sexuality. Journal of Kidney Care 2019, 2(4).
  • Nunns M, Shaw L, Briscoe S, Thompson Coon J, Hemsley A, Mcgrath JS, Lovegrove CJ, Thomas D, Anderson R. Multicomponent hospital-led interventions to reduce hospital stay for older adults following elective surgery: a systematic review. Health and Social Care Delivery Research 2019, 7(40).
  • Hunter H, Lovegrove CJ, Haas B, Freeman J, Gunn H. Experiences of people with Parkinson's disease and their views on physical activity interventions: a qualitative systematic review. JBI Evidence Synthesis 2019, 4(17).
  • Lovegrove CJ, Bannigan K, Cheeseman D, Latour JM. The involvement of people with Parkinson’s in designing a study of the lived experience of anxiety. British Journal of Occupational Therapy 2017, 80(8).