Aasima Saeed Patel

I am an early career researcher, currently undertaking a PhD in the School of Psychology and Vision Sciences at the University of Leicester.

Prior to beginning PhD study, I studied Psychology (BSc) and Clinical Skills in Integrative Psychotherapy (MSc) at Manchester Metropolitan University. After this, I gained experience in supporting people with various psychological and neurological illnesses via my roles as a Mental Health Recovery Support Worker and Mental Wellbeing Practitioner.

After this, I began my first academic research role as a Research Assistant in Applied Health at the University of Lancashire, which I continue to undertake part time alongside my PhD.

My PhD is investigating experiences and influences on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the aftermath of a stroke, providing an exciting opportunity to contribute towards improving the understanding of PTSD in stroke survivors and helping to inform theory and intervention development in this area.

The PhD is part of a wider research project focused on PTSD in stroke survivors, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and hosted by the University of Leicester.

This PhD builds upon the experience of stroke research that I have gained through my role as a Research Assistant, where the majority of the projects that I work on are focused on stroke, as well as other health and care related areas. I carry out quantitative and qualitative data collection, data management and analysis, as well as contributing to the preparation of outputs from research/evaluation/implementation projects including publications in high quality peer reviewed journals.

Lightbody, C. E., Gordon, C., Burton, C., Davidson, C., Jenkinson, D., Patel, A. S., Petrie, F. J., Rouncefield-Swales, A., Sprigg, N., Stewart, K., Suleman, M., Watkins, C. L., Thetford, C., & PREPARE Study Research Team. (2025). Prepare: Improving End-of-Life Care Practice in Stroke Care: Insights from a National Survey and Semi-Structured Interviews. Healthcare, 13(8), 848. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13080848

Weldon, J. C., Bray, E. P., Gibson, J., Bangee, M., Chesworth, B., Doherty, A., Hirst, Y., Lane, D., Harris, C., Patel, A. S., & Watkins, C. (2025). Optimisation of oral anticoagulation for stroke prevention: A scoping review of factors influencing implementation. BMJ Open, 15(12), e097847. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-097847