Dr Angus MacBeth

Biography

Dr MacBeth is an NRS Career Research Fellow, funded by NHS Research Scotland and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen. His clinical work is as a Clinical Psychologist with NHS Grampian, working in adult mental health at Dr Gray’s Hospital, Elgin. His academic work is with the Psychiatry Research Group and the Centre for Rural Health. 

Dr MacBeth's PhD research was completed at the University of Glasgow with Professor Andrew Gumley, investigating attachment and mentalization in First Episode Psychosis (FEP). He subsequently completed a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Glasgow. He currently researches the following areas:

1) Developmental psychopathology, as applied to the development of, and adaptation to, complex psychiatric disorders.  

Dr MacBeth is currently lead investigator on a CSO funded project linking maternity and psychiatric data for mothers with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. As part of his fellowship Dr MacBeth is involved in a collaboration between the University of Aberdeen, the University of Copenhagen and the University of Glasgow to develop a programme of research into the psychological needs of mothers with a psychotic disorder and their infants. He was also a co-investigator on the Mellow Bumps mother-infant psychological intervention evaluation, funded by the Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy.

2) Schizophrenia and Psychotic disorders.

Dr MacBeth has a long standing interest in treatment models and the psychological management of psychotic disorders, particularly in the early stages of psychosis. He is also involved in several projects evaluating interview-based measures of attachment, metacognition and mentalization in psychiatric groups.

3) Evidence-based mental health

Dr MacBeth has an interest in improving the use of research methodologies in the development and evaluation of routine psychiatric care. He is involved in several projects in NHS Grampian using service evaluation and small-scale research designs to a) measure pathways into care and service delivery; and b) evaluate psychological therapies. Dr MacBeth is also interested in the use of meta-analysis to inform health care delivery.

External Memberships

Associate Editor for Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Reseach and Practice.

Research Representative for NHS Grampian on the University of Edinburgh Doctorate in Clinical Psychology course.

Research Overview

Psychosis and schizophrenia; developmental psychopathology; attachment; meta-analysis; metacognitive/mentalization approaches to complex mental health problems.

Collaborations

External Collaborators:

• University of Glasgow, Mental Health and Wellbeing: Professor Andrew Gumley, Dr Hamish McLeod, Dr Helen Minnis.
• University of Edinburgh, Clinical Psychology: Professor Matthias Schwannauer, Dr Thomas Hacker.
• University of Copenhagen, Psychology Department: Dr Susanne Harder, Dr Kirstine Davidsen.
• Centre for Metacognitive Therapy, Rome: Dr Giancarlo Dimaggio.

Funding and Grants

2014 – 2017. The Danish Council for Independent Research | Humanities (FKK) - The mother infant relationship in Schizophrenia: exploring mechanisms of developmental risk and resilience. Co-investigator: £476,907. Named Co-Investigator

2013-2015. Chief Scientists Office, The Scottish Government. Maternity-related outcomes in women with a diagnosis of a non-affective psychotic disorder: a data linkage study in two Scottish cohorts. Principal Investigator. £87,898. Principal Investigator

2011-2013 Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy - Antenatal parenting support for women vulnerable in pregnancy: an exploratory randomised controlled trial of Mellow Bumps. Co-investigator: £74,766. Co-Investigator

Teaching Responsibilities

Co-Supervisor for PhDs. Research supervision of NHS Grampian Clinical Psychology Trainees.