People

Cristina McKean

Original qualifications: BSc Speech Pathology & Therapy, Manchester Polytechnic 1989; MSc Human Communication Sciences, Newcastle University 2005; PhD Speech and Language Sciences, Newcastle University 2010

Employment: After practising as a Speech and Language Therapist in a number of UK NHS Trusts I joined Newcastle University in 2009 and am now a Senior Lecturer.

Research focus: In the field of child language development and disorders I am interested in understanding the nature and drivers of developmental change. I aim to conduct, developmentally informed and internationally relevant research which develops & evaluates effective public health practices for Identification, Intervention, and Service delivery design.

Ambitions for SEED: I am interested in understanding which factors may  promote resilience in children with poorer language skills and in understanding if and how the availability of these resources differs across the social gradient. I am also interested in  unpacking the nature of the developmental relationships between children’s language and mental health and again how these  relationships are influenced by social disadvantage .