Caitlin Thompson (she/her)

• ECR Rep

Caitlin is a PhD Student and Research Assistant based in PHSI. She has a BSc and MSc in Psychology from Newcastle University. She joined the Population Health Sciences Institute as a research assistant in 2023 and is now studying for a PhD under the supervision of Dr Ryc Aquino and Professor Judith Rankin alongside this role. Her PhD uses qualitative methods to explore the experiences of Autistic people accessing maternity care services in the UK, and she has wider research experience within the field of maternal and child health. Caitlin's research interests include neurodivergence, healthcare access, and health inequalities faced by marginalised groups when accessing care during pregnancy and the postpartum period. She has experience in qualitative and mixed-methods research designs and uses co-production with public engagement members throughout her work. Her PhD project aims to use creative qualitative interview methods to capture Autistic people's stories of their pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood experiences and analyse this data using narrative analysis. 

Research interests:

• Maternal and child health
• Sexual and reproductive health
• Neurodivergence/ Autism
• Co-production 
• Creative methods 

Contact Email: caitlin.thompson@newcastle.ac.uk