Speaker

Deborah is a General Practitioner and primary care researcher, combining an academic role with clinical work as a GP in Suffolk. Her research explores the interfaces between medicine, social science, and linguistics, with a particular focus on interaction and social relationships in primary health care settings.

She gained her first degree in Medical Sciences from the University of Cambridge in 1990, qualified as a doctor at Imperial College London in 1993, and became a GP in 1998. She completed postgraduate studies at UCL (MSc) and QMUL (PhD).

She leads an interdisciplinary team of researchers and PhD students investigating a range of generalist concerns, including multiple long-term conditions, polypharmacy and medicines optimisation, medical overuse, the role of information technologies in practice, how health policies shape clinical work, and patient and professional experiences of health care. Her work brings a scholarly lens to the everyday practices of clinicians and patients as they navigate the complexities of health care. Her research is grounded in practice and seeks to develop practice-based evidence to inform clinicians and policymakers.

She is Institute Theme Lead for Complexity and Social Sciences and co-lead of the Primary Care Unit. She also serves on the core management team for the Wellcome Doctoral Training Programme and QMUL’s membership of the NIHR School for Primary Care. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

In 2019, Deborah received the RCGP/SAPC John Fry Award for her contribution to the discipline of general practice through research.