Kathryn Abel

Kathryn Abel is Professor of Psychological Medicine and Reproductive Psychiatry at the University of Manchester. She is Director of the Centre for Women’s Mental Health within the Division of Psychology and Mental Health. She is also an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist in Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust and has been at the forefront of policy and service developments for women in mental health services. With the Department of Health, she developed an open access e-learning resource for mental health professionals.

She has a wealth of experience delivering mental health research in NHS settings and is the Greater Manchester NIHR Clinical Local Research Network Lead for Dendron, Mental Health and Neurology delivering high quality research for NHS patients.

Her research focusses on: the effects of early maternal condition and fetal environment on offspring outcomes; abnormalities of maternal sensitivity and attachment; interventions to improve offspring outcomes for mentally ill mothers; and gendered interventions for women offenders in prison settings.

She has a number of international collaborations in Scandinavia, Australia and Columbia University, New York.