Rona Moss-Morris is Head of

Health Psychology Health psychology is the study of psychological and behavioral processes in health, illness, and healthcare. The discipline is concerned with understanding how psychological, behavioral, and culture, cultural factors contribute to physical health ...

and Chair in Psychology as Applied to Medicine at the

Institute of Psychiatry The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) is a research institution dedicated to discovering what causes mental illness and diseases of the brain. In addition, its aim is to help identify new treatments for them and ways ...

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. Her research investigates long-term, medically unexplained disorders such as

chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or ME/CFS, is a complex, debilitating, long-term medical condition. The causes and mechanisms of the disease are not fully understood. Distinguishing core symptoms are ...

(CFS) and

irritable bowel syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a "disorder of gut-brain interaction" characterized by a group of symptoms that commonly include abdominal pain and or abdominal bloating and changes in the consistency of bowel movements. These symptoms may ...

(IBS). She joined the IoP in 2011 and presented an inaugural lecture entitled "Trials and tribulations: A journey towards integrated care for long term conditions."

Biography

Academic career

Growing up in South Africa, Rona studied

occupational therapy Occupational therapy (OT) is a global healthcare profession. It involves the use of assessment and intervention to develop, recover, or maintain the meaningful activities, or ''occupations'', of individuals, groups, or communities. The field of ...

at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

, where she was awarded a BSc. She worked clinically in mental health in South Africa as an

occupational therapist Occupational therapists (OTs) are health care professionals specializing in occupational therapy and occupational science. OTs and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) use scientific bases and a holistic perspective to promote a person's abilit ...

before immigrating in 1988 to New Zealand. At the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

she studied for a Masters and PhD in health psychology. Her doctoral thesis was titled ''Cognitive factors in the maintenance of chronic fatigue syndrome''. She worked at the University of Auckland as a lecturer and whilst on the faculty helped to set up a Masters course in Health Psychology. In 2006, Rona moved again, this time to the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

in the UK and was made Professor of Health Psychology in 2007. Here she researched, amongst other topics, the links between chronic illness and personality factors (for example the link between IBS and perfectionism). She is currently a professor at the Institute of Psychiatry in South London, where she joined the Department of Psychology in 2011.

Research

Rona has dedicated her academic career to investigating chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and

post-concussion syndrome Post-concussion syndrome (PCS) is a set of symptoms that may continue for weeks, months, or a year or more after a concussion – medically classified as a so-called mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). About 34 to 35% of people with concussi ...

. This work has included attempts to model and treat the disorders as well as understanding psychological factors involved in reactions to chronic illness as well as how the patient and their family adjust to the symptoms. She has spoken at public engagement events on the relationship between stress and illness. She has developed a web-based version of a CBT Package called MSInvigor8.

Publications

Rona has co-authored a book with Keith Petrie entitled ''Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Experience of Illness)''. Rona has contributed to over 61 academic articles in a variety of peer-reviewed journals. The following are a selection of the few most recent: * * *Powell, D. J. H., Liossi, C., Moss-Morris, R. & Schlotz, W. (2013) Unstimulated cortisol secretory activity in everyday life and its relationship with fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome: A systematic review and subset meta-analysis ''Psychoneuroendocrinology'' * *

Awards

Rona won MS Research of the Year as part of the Multiple Sclerosis Society Awards 2013 for her randomised controlled trial ''Adjusting to MS'', which compared CBT and supportive listening to help people adjust to early stages of

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

(MS).MS Society website, retrieved 12th Nov 2013
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References

External links

Adjusting to MS: what do we know and can we help?
MS Society Talking Research video {{DEFAULTSORT:Moss-Morris, Rona Academics of King's College London University of Auckland alumni University of Auckland faculty British psychologists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)