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 30 years. Karen has been involved in developing a number of services over the years including pulmonary rehabilitation, community early supported discharge, prevention of admission and oxygen services. She has been involved in representing 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) and is currently co-chair of the BTS Nurses Specialist advisory group and Chair of ARNS Education & Research Committee.
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 is a co-applicant of the NIHR TANDEM Health Technology Assessment Study using CBT and pulmonary rehabilitation and PhD supervisor investigating the pulmonary rehabilitation, CBT and behavioural activation