Biography
Anna-Maria is a Research Assistant at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School. Her role is within Primary and Community Health Services, supporting the work of the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) in Kent, Surrey, and Sussex (KSS). She has completed a MSc degree in Psychology with distinction at the University of Sussex where she received the Commitment to Upskilling award for volunteering and working in mental health while studying. Before switching careers, she worked in arts marketing for a decade, most recently at the V&A museum where her interest in co-production began when working on the transformation of the Museum of Childhood to the Young V&A.
Anna-Maria is interested in developmental trauma, mindfulness interventions, psychotherapy, complex emotional needs and mood disorders. She wrote her MSc dissertation on the relational and emotional experiences of adults who meditate and have had an inconsistent Evolved Developmental Niche, as coined by researcher Darcia Narvaez. Anna-Maria splits her time between this role and working as Assistant Psychologist for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.