Dr Helena Lewis-Smith

Find more staff

Role:

Associate Professor of Psychology

Department staff:

HAS - Health and Social Sciences

Qualifications:PhD (Health Psychology), MSc Health Psychology, BSc Applied Psychology
Position:Associate Professor of Psychology
Department:HAS - Health and Social Sciences
Telephone:+441173281895
Email:Helena.Lewis-Smith@uwe.ac.uk

About me

Dr Helena Lewis-Smith is an Associate Professor of Psychology specialising in psychosocial interventions across education, community, and clinical settings. Her work spans children, adolescents, and adults, including cancer populations, focusing on promoting positive body image, improving psychological wellbeing, and addressing health inequalities. She investigates sociocultural factors influencing wellbeing and develops and evaluates psychosocial interventions.

Helena obtained her BSc in Applied Psychology from Cardiff University (2010) and MSc in Health Psychology from the University of the West of England (2011), before completing a PhD exploring psychosocial adjustment among breast cancer survivors (2017). She has worked for 15 years at the Centre for Appearance Research, leading research that translates evidence into real-world impact.

Currently, she leads the following externally-funded research projects as PI:

· NIHR RfPB (2024–2026): Feasibility study to inform a randomised controlled trial evaluating an online group-based cognitive behavioural therapy intervention for women following breast cancer treatment (NIHR205415).

· Bristol and Weston Hospitals Charity Legacy Grant (2025–2027): Mapping psychosocial support for younger women after breast cancer to inform intervention development and evaluation.

Helena translates research into practice through partnerships with health services, schools, and charities, including the NHS, Macmillan, Maggie's Cancer Support, Unilever, and UNICEF. She supervises undergraduate, Masters, and Doctoral students, mentors early-career researchers, and maintains collaborations with universities and organisations worldwide.

She is an active member of the British Psychological Society and the Academy of Eating Disorders, co-leads the Academy’s Research-Practice Committee, serves on the editorial board for Body Image, and peer-reviews for journals and funding bodies including MRC, NIHR, and UKRI.

Area of expertise

body image; eating disorder prevention; cancer; sociocultural influences, intervention development and evaluation; underserved groups

Publications

Publications loading...