Dr Karen Heslop-Marshall
Nurse Consultant and cognitive behavioural therapist.
Co-Founder of BreathTec.
Karen is a Nurse Consultant working in Newcastle upon Tyne and has worked in the Chest Clinic for over 35 years. Karen has been involved in developing a number of services over the years including asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, lung cancer, interstitial lung disease, TB, pulmonary rehabilitation, community early supported discharge, prevention of admission and oxygen services.
She has represented nurses on national guideline groups for nebulisers, asthma, bronchiectasis, COPD, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Quality Standards for Bronchiectasis and the NICE COPD Quality Standards Group and Commissioning Framework Group.
Karen has represented nurses on a number of committees including the British Thoracic Society (BTS), co-chaired the BTS Nurses Specialist advisory group and was Chair of ARNS Education & Research Committee. Karen is currently chair of the European Respiratory Society Assembly 9.3 Nurse Group and was co-founder of the International Coalition of Respiratory Nurses.
Karen’s main area of expertise is the psychological impact of respiratory disease. Karen completed a postgraduate diploma in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in 2003 and developed a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) treatment specifically for patients with respiratory problems who face psychological difficulties.
Karen completed a National Institute of Health Research PhD Clinical Academic Training Research Fellowship from 2011 to 2016. Her PhD research was the largest randomised controlled trail into CBT for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who experience anxiety and depression. The research found that CBT delivered by respiratory nurses, significantly improved symptoms of anxiety and importantly reduced attendance to Accident & Emergency Departments and hospital admissions.
Karen has integrated mental and physical health to manage the psychological co-morbidities facing many respiratory patients and offers training for health care professionals who would like to develop their skills in this area. Karen is involved in research integrating physical and psychological well-being for patients with long term conditions and pulmonary rehabilitation and is a PhD supervisor supporting other healthcare professionals.
Karen & Dr Graham Burns co-developed BreathTec with patients over many years, in the hope it will help more people with breathing problems. We hope it will be available through the NHS for years to come.