Dr Alison Fixsen
I am a Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster, with a specific interest in critical mental health studies, including eating disorders, psychoactive drug management and dependency, social prescribing, gendered self care and professional well-being initiatives. My recent book, The Construction of Eating Disorders- Psychiatry, Politics and Cultural Representations of Disordered Eating, is the first in depth study of contemporary eating disorders from a constructionist perspective. I am currently exploring the experiences of families and caregivers of those with eating disorders in several different countries.
2025- Principal Investigator- Exploring the Experiences of Families and Caregivers of those with eating disorders: A Multi-Cultural Study
2021: Principal Investigator- Green social prescribing during and post Covid: a UK based study.
2020: Principal Investigator: Pathways and barriers to social prescribing: Co-producing initiatives which address social and health inequalities in urban areas (Community funding).
2018-19: Co-investigator: NHS funded evaluation of a social prescribing scheme in Shropshire.
2019: Co-investigator National Lottery funded social prescribing outcomes project.
2018 - 2019 Co-investigator University of Malaysia funded project on orthorexia nervosa.
2012-15: Principal Investigator: ‘Netography’ of benzodiazepine user stories of withdrawal and recovery, which has been widely read and discussed among stakeholders including those in the BZD virtual community.
2010-2014: Principal Investigator on 2 university based research studies, the first investigating the emotion work of final year students undergoing personal and professional development (PPD) and clinical training (Fixsen and Ridge 2012), and the other a secondary analysis of level 4 and 5 student experiences of this programme (Fixsen et al. 2015).
2013-17 (Doctorate): Ethnographic exploration of staff experiences of Learning and Development programmes.
1995- 1996: Joint Principal Investigator on a randomised trial of homeopathic versus standard care in the treatment of otitis media with effusion in children, later published in two journals.