Dr Melanie Chapman

Melanie has been Research Associate within Manchester Learning Disability Partnership which supports adults with learning disabilities since December 1999.  She is a Visiting Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University.   Her role is focused on increasing research capacity amongst health and social care practitioners and developing and carrying out research projects and service evaluations. She has used a range of qualitative and quantitative methods and has been involved in a number of projects on different topic areas relating to people with learning disabilities (e.g. mindfulness, digital inclusion, dementia, weight management, misdiagnosis of epilepsy, advocacy, resettlement from long stay institutions, Big Society.  The findings from many of these projects have been published in peer-reviewed and practice journals.

Melanie has a long-standing commitment to ensuring that people who use health and social care services and carers are actively involved and engaged throughout the research process and was seconded for two days a week to facilitate the development of the North West People in Research Forum from October 2013- October 2015. She has worked closely with people with learning disabilities as co-researchers on projects and co-applicants on funding proposals.  In 2012, she completed a PhD (by publication) on involving people with learning disabilities and health and social care practitioners in research.  She also has a degree in psychology and a Masters in Research (Health & Community).