معرفی
Leah Avery is a Research Professor of Applied Health Psychology and a Registered Practitioner Health Psychologist at Teesside University's Centre for Rehabilitation, Lifestyle Medicine and Human Performance. She leads research on developing digital and in-person interventions targeting lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, diet, alcohol) and clinician consultation practices. Key projects include VITALISE (digital weight loss for liver disease), BeActive-HF (heart failure physical activity), and iPrepwell (surgical prehabilitation). She is a steering group member for international prehabilitation guidelines and contributes to MASLD treatment matrix working groups.
Educations: PhD in Health Psychology (Newcastle), Stage 2 Qualification in Health Psychology (BPS), PgCert in Teaching (Teesside). Professional roles include Associate Fellow of BPS, NIHR ARC Deputy Theme Lead, and reviewer for NIHR/MRC/BHF.
Research focuses on behavioral interventions for chronic diseases, with a strong emphasis on digital health solutions. Recent articles highlight digital prehabilitation efficacy, barriers to low-calorie diets in NAFLD, and social prescribing for mental health. Awards include the NIHR Mental Health Leader Award (2025). Supervised 13 PhD students, including work on COPD pain education, suicide prevention toolkits, and diabetes remission strategies. Active in interdisciplinary collaborations across UK institutions and global health organizations.
Labs/Teams: Centre for Rehabilitation at Teesside, NIHR ARC North East & Cumbria, MASLD treatment matrix team (BASL).
