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Val °Õ²¹»å¾±Ä‡

Valerija °Õ²¹»å¾±Ä‡ BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, FHEA

Associate Professor of Psychology

Key details

Valerija °Õ²¹»å¾±Ä‡

Associate Professor of Psychology

Val completed her PhD in Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London. Before joining Greenwich in 2018 she worked at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health; here she worked on several interdisciplinary, applied research projects, drawing on multidisciplinary collaborations across social and population health sciences and clinical practice, combining qualitative and quantitative research methods and drawing on public and patient involvement in her research.

Val’s academic expertise and interests are at the intersection of developmental psychology and health services research. Her research is concerned with improving quality of life of children and young people with disabilities and chronic conditions, with a primary focus on wellbeing of children and young people with visual impairment and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Her specific interests centre around:

  • Understanding and measuring the impact of visual impairment on children and young people from the visually impaired child’s and young person’s perspectives, and development and application of child-appropriate questionnaires/patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to capture this impact (i.e. their quality of life and functional vision).
  • Identification and understanding of the predictive factors and resilience mechanisms that shape quality of life outcomes for visually impaired children and young people and their families, with a view to identifying the targets for family-oriented interventions.
  • The experience and process of transitioning to adulthood for young people with SEND, drawing on participatory research principles and experiential knowledge and expertise of parents and young people themselves.

Val is interested in supervising PhD students with an interest in her research areas.

Val teaches topics in developmental, health and clinical psychology across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Post previously held:

  • 2008 - 2018, Research Associate. UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
  • 2009 - 2014, Workshop and seminar organiser (honorarium). Mary Kitzinger Trust charity, UK
  • 2004 - 2005, Research Assistant. Institute of Child Health, Neurosciences Unit (Developmental Vision Clinic, Great Ormond Street Hospital)
  • 2002 - 2004, Research Assistant. Psychology Department, Goldsmiths, University of London

Psychology

Allied health professions, dentistry, nursing and pharmacy

Responsibilities within the university
  • Programme Leader - MSc Child and Adolescent Psychology Programme Lead (Level 7)
  • Module leader - Developmental Psychology (Level 5)

Recognition
  • Honorary research associate at UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
  • Member of the research advisory committee, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
  • Ad hoc reviewer for Medical Research Council, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry; Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders; Child: Care, Health and Development; International Journal of Disability, Development and Education; Pediatrics; British Journal of Ophthalmology; Quality Reviews in Ophthalmology; Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics; Quality of Life Research

Research / Scholarly interests
  • Childhood onset visual impairment: epidemiology, and psychosocial and functional outcomes
  • Health-related and vision related quality of life of children and young people: theory, measurement and application
  • Transition to adulthood for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
  • Resilience, quality of life and family impact in the context of childhood disability or chronic conditions
  • Mixed methods research
  • Questionnaire design and patient-reported outcome measures
  • Participatory action research with vulnerable children, young people and their families

Key funded projects

Current projects:

  • Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship, Çï¿ûÊÓƵ (PhD student: Kelsey Snashall). Project: ‘Transitioning to adulthood for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) - Developing a transition model based on what matters most to young people with SEND and their families’ (as the PI and PhD supervisor)
  • Fight for Sight funded PhD, UCL Great Ormond Street Hospital Institute of Child Health). (PhD student: Ana Semrov) on ‘Promoting vision-related quality of life (QoL): first stage development of a model for intervention from evidence of what matters most to visually impaired children and their families’ (as a co-investigator and co-supervisor)

Current research collaborations:

  • Childhood Uveitis Signs and Symptoms Study (ChUSS), with Dr Lola Solebo (PI) at UCL GOS Institute of Child Health (NIHR funded)
  • Low vs. high-intensity occlusion therapy for mild/moderate amblyopia: a randomised-controlled feasibility trial, with Dr Dipesh P. Patel (PI) at Moorfields Eye Hospital (NIHR funded)
  • Development of a patient reported outcome measure (PROM) for patients with inherited optic neuropathy (ION), with Dr Patrick Yu Wai Man (PI) at University of Cambridge (NIHR funded)

Completed projects:

  • 2022, UKRI Impact Development Fund and Institute of Lifecourse Development Research Support, Çï¿ûÊÓƵ
    Project: ‘Engaging community stakeholders to inform collaborative and participatory research on supporting the transition to adulthood for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)’ (as the PI, with Prof Claire Monks, Çï¿ûÊÓƵ and Dr Laura Crane, UCL Institute of Education)
  • 2017, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity Clinical Starter Grant
    Project: 'Measuring and applying patients' perspectives - a pilot study of optimal routine use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in paediatric ophthalmology’ (as a co-investigator, with Professor J.S. Rahi (PI) and Dr A. Liasis at UCL GOS Institute of Child Health)
  • 2014, Child Health Appeal Trust (CHRAT) PhD studentship/ UCL Institute of Child Health
    Project: 'Living with a visual disability through a key transitional stage: development of patient-reported outcome measures of quality of life and functional vision for young people with visual impairment aged 16-18 years' (as a co-Investigator, with Professor J.S. Rahi (PI) and Mrs P. Cumberland at UCL GOS Institute of Child Health)
  • 2012, Fight for Sight (UK Charity) Project Grant
    Project: 'Functional Vision and Vision-related quality of life of children and young people: development of age-appropriate patient reported outcome measures for use in paediatric ophthalmology' (as a co-Investigator, with Professor J.S. Rahi (PI), Mrs P. Cumberland, Professor G. Lewando-Hundt, Ms L. Davies, Dr A. Liasis and Mrs C. Brown at UCL GOS Institute of Child Health)
  • 2012, Medical Research Council, Patient and Public Involvement Grant
    Project: 'Engaging young people and their families to inform implementation of patient-reported outcome and experience measure in routine paediatric care' (as the PI; co-investigators: Dr R. Knowles and Professor J.S Rahi at UCL GOS Institute of Child Health)
  • 2011, Medical Research Council, MRC Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology - Small Grant
    Project: 'The child's perspective of health and health care: Strategies for investigating self-reported outcomes and experiences' (as the PI; co-investigators: Professor J.S. Rahi and Dr R. Knowles at UCL GOS Institute of Child Health)

Recent publications

Article

Kellett, Salomey , Tadic, Valerija, Petrushkin, Harry, Ashworth, Jane , Connor, Alan , McLoone, Eibhlin , Sharma, Srilakshmi , Agorogiannis, Eleftherios , Watts, Patrick , Hughes, Edward (2024), . Taylor and Francis Group - Taylor & Francis Open Access. In: , , , . Taylor and Francis Group - Taylor & Francis Open Access, Future Rare Diseases, 4 (1) . pp. 1-13 2399-5270 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/23995270.2024.2366153).

Semrov, Ana , Tadic, Valerija, Cortina-Borja, Mario, Rahi, Jugnoo , The Resilience and Childhood Visual Impairment Study Group (2023), . Public Library of Science (PLoS). In: , , , . Public Library of Science (PLoS), PLoS ONE, 18: e0294532 (11) . pp. 1-14 1932-6203 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0294532).

Chen, Benson , Galus, Tomasz, Archer, Stephanie, Tadic, Valerija , Horton, Mike , Pesudovs, Konrad , Braithwaite, Tasanee , Yu-Wai-Man, Patrick (2022), . Springer Link. In: , , , . Springer Link, Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology ISSN: 0721-832X (Print), 1435-702X (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-021-05534-0) NB Item availability restricted.

Robertson, Alexandra , Tadic, Valerija, Rahi, Jugnoo (2021), . Public Library of Science. In: , , , . Public Library of Science, PLoS ONE, 16: e0254009 (7) 1932-6203 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254009).

Robertson, Alexandra O. , °Õ²¹»å¾±Ä‡, Valerija, Horvat-Gitsels, Lisanne A., Cortina-Borja, Mario , Rahi, Jugnoo S. (2021), . Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, American Journal of Ophthalmology, 230 . pp. 167-177 ISSN: 0002-9394 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2021.05.017).

Robertson, Alexandra O. , Tadic, Valerija, Rahi, Jugnoo S. (2020), . Public Library of Science (PLoS). In: , , , . Public Library of Science (PLoS), PLoS ONE, 15: e0243563 (12) 1932-6203 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243563).

Robertson, Alexandra O. , °Õ²¹»å¾±Ä‡, Valerija, Cortina-Borja, Mario, Rahi, Jugnoo (2020), . BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. In: , , , . BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Archives of Diseases in Childhood, 106 (7) . pp. 687-692 ISSN: 0003-9888 (Print), 1468-2044 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2020-318991).

Kellett, Salomey , Rahi, Jugnoo S, Dick, Andrew D, Knowles, Rachel , Tadic, Valerija , Solebo, Ameenat Lola (2020), . F1000Research. In: , , , . F1000Research, F1000Research, 9: 1196 2046-1402 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.26689.1).

Robertson, Alexandra , Tadic, Valerija, Cortina-Borja, Mario, Rahi, Jugnoo (2020), . Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, American Journal of Ophthalmology, 219 . pp. 141-153 ISSN: 0002-9394 (Print), 1879-1891 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2020.04.021).

Elsman, Elen B. M. , Tadic, Valerija, Peeters, Carel F. W., van Rens, Ger H. M. B. , Rahi, Jugnoo S. , van Nispen, Ruth M. A. (2019), . BMC. In: , , , . BMC, BMC Medical Research Methodology, 19: 221 1471-2288 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-019-0875-9).

Tadic, Valerija , Robertson, Alexandra, Cortina-Borja, Mario, Rahi, Jugnoo (2019), . Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Ophthalmology, 127 (2) . pp. 249-260 ISSN: 0161-6420 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2019.08.033).

Robertson, A. O. , °Õ²¹»å¾±Ä‡, V., Rahi, J. S. (2017), . Springer Nature. In: , , , . Springer Nature, Eye, 32 (2) . pp. 406-414 ISSN: 0950-222X (Print), 1476-5454 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.2017.203).

°Õ²¹»å¾±Ä‡, V. and , Rahi, J. S. (2017), . Springer Nature. In: , , , . Springer Nature, Eye, 31 (4) . pp. 511-518 ISSN: 0950-222X (Print), 1476-5454 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.2016.316).

Knowles, Rachel Louise , Tadic, Valerija, Hogan, Ailbhe, Bull, Catherine , Rahi, Jugnoo Sangeeta , Dezateux, Carol (2016), . Public Library of Science. In: , , , . Public Library of Science, PLOS ONE, 11: e0159326 (8) ISSN: 1932-6203 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159326).

°Õ²¹»å¾±Ä‡, Valerija , Cumberland, Phillippa M., Lewando-Hundt, Gillian, Rahi, Jugnoo S. (2016), . BMJ Publishing Group. In: , , , . BMJ Publishing Group, British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2017: 101 . pp. 244-250 ISSN: 0007-1161 (Print), 1468-2079 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjophthalmol-2016-308582).

Tadic, Valerija , Cooper, Andrew, Cumberland, Phillippa, Lewando-Hundt, Gillian , Rahi, Jugnoo S. (2016), . In: , , , . , PLOS ONE, 11 (2) . pp. e0146225 1932-6203 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0146225).

Conference proceedings

Kellet, S , Petrushkin, J, Ashworth, J, Connor, A , McLoone, E , Schmoll, C , Sharma, S , Agorogiannis, E , Williams, J , Choi, J (2023), . BMJ Publishing Group. In: , , , BMJ Ophthalmology Open. BMJ Publishing Group, BMJ Open, 8 (1st) . pp. A1-A1 ISSN: 2044-6055 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjophth-2023-BIPOSA.2).

Semrov, Ana , Tadic, Valerija, Cortina Borja, Mario, Rahi, Jugnoo (2023), . Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). In: , , In: ARVO Conference Organizing Committee (ed.), Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), Rockville, MD , 64 (8) (1st) . pp. 871-871 ISSN: 0146-0404 (Print), 1552-5783 (Online) (doi: https://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2786091&resultClick=1).

Semrov, Ana , Tadic, Valerija, Rahi, Jugnoo (2023), . Elsevier - Science Direct. In: , , , Value in Health. Elsevier - Science Direct, New York Value in Health, 26 (6) . pp. S318-S318 ISSN: 1098-3015 (Print), 1524-4733 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2023.03.1816) NB Item availability restricted.

Solebo, Ameenat Lola , Kellet, Salomey, Rahi, Jugnoo, Dick, Andrew D. , Knowles, Rachel , Tadic, Valerija (2022), . Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). In: , , , Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), Rockville, USA , 63 (7) . pp. 4468 -A0178 ISSN: 0146-0404 (Print), 1552-5783 (Online) (doi: https://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2781648).