Dr Kristina Newman PhD, FHEA, MSc, BA

• PhD in Psychology, Aston University, 2020
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Aston University, 2018
• MSc in Health Psychology, De Montfort University, 2016
• BA in Psychology with English Joint Hons, The University of Northampton, 2014

Kristina Newman’s research examines how people experience illness, symptoms, diagnosis, and healthcare in contexts of clinical complexity and uncertainty. Drawing on qualitative and mixed-methods approaches, they investigate experiences that are often difficult to recognise, measure, or address within healthcare systems, generating evidence that informs clinical practice, service development, and outcome measurement. Their work spans chronic, rare, and under-recognised conditions, with a particular focus on how symptoms, distress, identity, and uncertainty influence healthcare experiences, decision-making, and access to care.

Kristina completed a PhD in Psychology at Aston University in 2020. Their doctoral research developed an original mixed-methods programme examining adolescent food allergy, integrating systematic review, qualitative inquiry, and psychometric scale development to explore food-related risk, avoidance, family relationships, and identity. This work established a continuing interest in how patients and families navigate uncertainty and how patient-reported outcomes can better capture experiences of health and illness. They also hold an MSc in Health Psychology from De Montfort University and a BPS-accredited BA in Psychology with English. Their MSc dissertation, an interpretative phenomenological study of long-term breastfeeding experiences, was published in Appetite. Kristina is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Prior to joining the University of Birmingham, Kristina held research and teaching positions across several UK universities. At the University of Leicester, they led mixed-methods research exploring pain, symptom burden, and psychological distress in people living with IgA nephropathy and other rare kidney diseases. Working with clinicians, registry partners, charities, and patient communities, this research advanced understanding of under-recognised symptoms and highlighted the value of patient perspectives in shaping care and outcome measurement. Findings were disseminated internationally, including at the World Congress of Nephrology, and contributed to wider discussions on supportive care and patient-centred outcome measurement in rare kidney disease.

Earlier in their career, Kristina was lead qualitative researcher on STADIA, an NIHR-funded implementation and process evaluation conducted across eight NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Through qualitative research with young people, families, clinicians, managers, and commissioners, they examined experiences of diagnosis, care pathways, and service delivery within complex healthcare systems. They have also contributed to research on workforce wellbeing, including studies of NHS staff experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, furloughed workers, and workplace return-to-work interventions.

Alongside their research, Kristina has substantial experience in higher education teaching, supervision, and academic leadership. They have taught across undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes, led modules, contributed to curriculum development, and supported equality, diversity, and inclusion initiatives. They are an alumna of the Advance HE Aurora leadership programme and have held national leadership roles within the British Psychological Society, including co-founding and chairing the Health Psychology Trainee Network.

Kristina’s current research focuses on improving understanding of symptoms and experiences that are poorly recognised within healthcare systems, particularly where clinical indicators do not fully capture patient need. Through interdisciplinary collaboration with patients, clinicians, and third-sector organisations, they develop evidence that supports more responsive, equitable, and clinically meaningful healthcare.

Current Research

Eating Disorders, Lived Experience, and Medical Anthropology

As a Research Fellow in Medical Anthropology at the University of Birmingham, I contribute to the UKRI‑funded project An Anthropological Approach to Eating Disorders. My research examines the lived experience, sociocultural contexts, and psychological dimensions of eating disorders, with particular attention to how individuals, families, and clinicians navigate uncertainty, identity, embodiment, and recovery. Drawing on anthropological theory, health psychology, and qualitative methodologies, I investigate patient narratives, care pathways, and the intersections between biomedical, psychological, and social understandings of illness. I contribute to the qualitative and ethnographic components of the programme, supporting data collection, analysis, and interdisciplinary synthesis.

Chronic and Rare Conditions: Symptoms, Distress, and Patient‑Reported Outcomes

Alongside my current work, I maintain a sustained research strand focused on chronic and rare conditions, particularly where symptoms and patient experiences are not fully captured by existing clinical indicators. Developed through my role as Renal Research Associate at the University of Leicester, this research explores how people make sense of diagnosis, distress, pain, uncertainty, and long‑term self‑management. Working collaboratively with clinicians, registry partners, charities, and patient communities, I have led qualitative and mixed‑methods studies examining lived experience and under‑recognised symptoms in IgA nephropathy and rare kidney disease. This work has informed patient‑reported outcome development, service improvement, and supportive care, and continues to shape my research on how experiential evidence can strengthen clinical decision‑making, outcome measurement, and healthcare delivery.

Previous Research

Mental Health, Identity, and Healthcare Experiences

My earlier research explored the psychological and experiential dimensions of health, illness, and healthcare. As lead qualitative researcher on the NIHR‑funded STADIA programme, I conducted qualitative research across eight NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, examining experiences of diagnosis, care pathways, and service delivery among young people, families, clinicians, managers, and commissioners. I have also contributed to research on workforce wellbeing, including studies of NHS staff during the COVID‑19 pandemic, furloughed workers, and workplace return‑to‑work interventions.

My doctoral research in psychology developed an original mixed‑methods programme examining adolescent food allergy, integrating systematic review, qualitative inquiry, and psychometric scale development. Exploring food‑related risk, avoidance, family relationships, and identity, this work established the foundations for my continuing interests in illness experiences, uncertainty, patient‑reported outcomes, and the use of experiential evidence to inform healthcare practice and policy.

Methodological Expertise

My methodological expertise includes qualitative and mixed‑methods study design; ethnographic, narrative, and in‑depth interviewing approaches; patient‑reported outcomes research; and interdisciplinary work spanning anthropology, psychology, and health sciences. Across these areas, I am particularly interested in how experiential evidence can inform clinical practice, service development, and more equitable and person‑centred healthcare.