Nicki O'Brien

Nicki O'Brien is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Northumbria University, with a visiting researcher role at the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health. She holds professional registrations including Chartered Psychologist (BPS) and Registered Practitioner Psychologist (HCPC). Her research focuses on developing evidence-based interventions for health promotion, with a particular emphasis on lifestyle interventions, animated health communication, and community pharmacy-supported care for chronic conditions. She leads the Health Behaviour and Behaviour Change Research Group at Northumbria.

Dr. O'Brien’s expertise spans quantitative and qualitative research methods, including intervention co-design, n-of-1 trials, and systematic reviews. Her work is funded by organizations such as NIHR, MRC, and Versus Arthritis. She actively supervises postgraduate students in health psychology and related fields. Key professional roles include membership on the NIHR Doctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship Selection Committee and editorial roles in journals like Frontiers in Health Services and Lifestyle Medicine.

Her research interests coalesce around global health, digital health innovations, and reducing health inequalities through accessible interventions. Notable projects include redefining Mediterranean lifestyle guidelines and evaluating pharmacy-based osteoarthritis management models. She collaborates internationally, addressing both individual and population-level health challenges.