Vocational Training Charitable Trust Foundation project
Find out more about the work of the VTCT Foundation and meet the team.
This major project is driven by priorities set by charities that work directly with people and their families who are living with visible difference.
About the project
With support from The VTCT Foundation, the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) will evaluate existing methods of support and intervention, plus embark on a new programme of research to help charities in this sector maximise their impact.
Events
The Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) run a series of workshops for members of the Appearance Collective (AC) and other charities that support people living with visible differences.
Previous workshops:
Meet the team
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Bruna Oliveira Costa |
Bruna has a background in Health Psychology. She has experience of research in cleft, and is particularly interested in appearance-altering health conditions. |
| Ella Guest |
Ella has experience across a range of appearance-affecting conditions such as burns, cleft and cancer. She will draw on her VTCT Foundation work while training as a Health Psychologist. |
| Dr Claire Hamlet |
Claire is CAR’s VTCT Foundation research coordinator and a trainee Health Psychologist. She has experience of facial palsy and cleft research, intervention evaluation and project management. |
| Professor Diana Harcourt |
Diana is overseeing our work on the programme, offering expertise and experience in leading large appearance research programmes. |
| Jade Parnell |
Jade started her PhD in January 2018 on developing an intervention for young children to increase acceptance of appearance diversity. She is supervised by Amy Slater and Heidi Williamson. |
| Professor Nichola Rumsey |
Nicky is supervising our programme team, offering her expertise on leading large visible difference research programmes. |
| Dr Nick Sharratt |
Nick is working on projects linked to visible difference and romantic relationships, how interpersonal interactions connected to the disclosure of and conversations connected to appearance altering conditions are experienced, men's experiences having of alopecia and receiving support. |
| Dr Amy Slater |
Amy has internationally recognised expertise in the area of social media use and appearance-related concerns. |
| Dr Nicola Stock |
Nicola has extensive experience of mixed methods research into craniofacial conditions (with a particular expertise in cleft), and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI). |
| Maia Thornton |
Maia started her PhD research in October 2018 on promoting positive psychological adjustment in parents and carers of children and young people with an appearance-altering condition or injury. |
| Dr Heidi Williamson |
Heidi is leading our work on psychosocial interventions for people with a visible difference, using her experience of developing and evaluating interventions for this population. |
| Fabio Zucchelli |
Fabio has expertise in mindfulness-based interventions such as Acceptance Commitment Therapy for people with visible differences, and maximising the real-world impact of research. |
Contact us
For any enquiry, please contact Claire Hamlet, VTCT Foundation Research Coordinator, by:
Email: Claire.Hamlet@uwe.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)117 32 83513
Alternatively, contact the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) office.