Lisa Ballard

Dr. Lisa Ballard is a Senior Research Fellow within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton. She focuses on ethical and legal issues in genetic and genomic medicine, particularly through the NIHR BRC Data, Health and Society theme. Her work investigates stakeholder perspectives on hospital data utilization in learning healthcare systems and collaborates with the SO14 community via the HomeGrownSO14 Project. She also contributes to the EPPiGen Project, exploring ethical preparedness in genomic medicine, and developed the myKinMatters web app to aid patient communication of genetic information.

Education:

• BSc Psychology (2005) – Solent University
• MSc Health Psychology (2007) – University of Southampton
• Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology (2017) – University of the West of England

Research Interests:

• Ethical challenges in genomic medicine
• Behavior change interventions in healthcare
• Predictive genetic testing decision-making
• Patient communication strategies
• Ethical preparedness for emerging technologies
• Public health during epidemics

Her work bridges psychological theory and clinical practice, emphasizing patient-centered approaches to complex ethical dilemmas.

Publications:

• Recent work includes studies on genetic information sharing, predictive testing experiences, and pandemic behavior interventions
• Collaborates across disciplines, publishing in journals like Journal of Genetic Counseling and Frontiers for Young Minds

Her research explores how patients navigate uncertainty in genetic testing and how healthcare systems ethically leverage data.

• Scientific Awards: Health Education England Genomics Education Programme Fellowship (2017)

Advising & Grants:

• ESRC-funded project on predictive/prenatal genetic testing decisions
• NIHR BRC collaboration on healthcare data ethics
• Developed myKinMatters with interdisciplinary teams

No formal PhD students listed, but contributes to multiple research projects.

Labs/Teams: Active in Clinical Ethics, Law and Society (CELS) group within the Faculty of Medicine, and collaborates with the NIHR BRC Data, Health and Society theme. Engaged with the HomeGrownSO14 community project.