Stephanie Kilinc

Stephanie Kilinc is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Teesside University, affiliated with the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law and the Institute for Collective Place Leadership. She is an active health psychologist conducting qualitative research on long-term and neurological conditions, with a strong emphasis on lived experience, self-management, and community-based participatory methods.

Her educational background includes a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Sunderland, an MSc in Health Psychology from Teesside University, and the British Psychological Society’s Stage Two Qualification in Health Psychology. Her PhD focused on adult-onset epilepsy, forming the foundation of her research in patient narratives and psychological wellbeing.

• BSc (Hons) Psychology – University of Sunderland
• MSc Health Psychology – Teesside University
• Stage Two Qualification in Health Psychology – British Psychological Society
• PhD on adult-onset epilepsy – Teesside University

Stephanie’s research centers on qualitative health research, particularly the lived experience and self-management of long-term conditions such as Long COVID and epilepsy. She employs phenomenological and narrative approaches, and specializes in co-produced, community-led research using creative methods like journey mapping, scrapbooking, and visual storytelling. Her work aims to empower patients and bridge gaps between research and public health practice.

Her recent publications reflect a strong trend in participatory and qualitative methodologies, focusing on self-management tools, peer research, and psychosocial impacts of chronic illness. Key themes include Long COVID, epilepsy, narrative analysis, and embedded public health research. She leads multiple funded projects exploring creative and co-produced interventions for improving patient outcomes.

Stephanie is actively involved in external networks, including Neuro Key (the Tees Valley, Durham and North Yorkshire Neurological Alliance), and collaborates widely across disciplines. She supervises research students and contributes to public discourse through media appearances discussing self-help tools and creativity in managing long-term conditions.

She has led significant projects such as the development of the Peer Researcher's Backpack, regional evaluation of self-management tools, and creative co-production initiatives like Teesside Voices. Her work emphasizes ethical, inclusive, and impactful research that engages patients as partners.