Dr Sabina Stanescu is a Health Psychologist and Public Health Practitioner with a strong interest in integrating psychology, research, and community engagement to enhance health and wellbeing. She holds a BSc in Psychology, an MSc in Health Psychology, and a PhD in Health Psychology Research and Professional Practice from the University of Southampton. Dr Stanescu has extensive experience in teaching and training, having delivered modules on health promotion and psychology at HSU (formerly AECC), and currently contributes to the First Contact Practice and Advanced Clinical Practice programmes. She supervises MSc students and Public Health apprentices, and provides training to healthcare teams on behaviour change, motivational interviewing, and health promotion.
Her professional background includes significant work within local authority public health, where she has led initiatives that translate research into practical applications. Her focus has been on population health management and mental health, particularly supporting individuals with severe mental illness. She has also contributed to broader public health topics such as sleep, prescribing, and community.
Experience, Areas of interest/expertise:
Areas of interest include illness perceptions and quality of life for people with long-term conditions and multimorbidity, access to healthcare, public health.
Qualifications 
BSc (Hons) Psychology, University of Southampton
MSc Health Psychology, University of Southampton
PhD Health Psychology Research and Professional Practice, University of Southampton
Membership
Health Psychologist (HCPC)
Chartered Psychologist (British Psychological Society)
Registered Public Health Practitioner (UKPHR)
Research Interests
Long-term conditions, multimorbidity, quality of life, illness perceptions
Research
- Multimorbidity and illness perceptions
- Access to cancer screening for under-represented groups
- Adherence to public health measures during COVID
- Application of behavioural science theory
Publications
Barrett, M., Shaw, S., Jenner, S., Hardy-Johnson, P., Stanescu, S., Woods-Townsend, K., … & Barker, M. (2024). Creating meaningful knowledge exchange between young people and public health practitioners: what role can researchers play?. Perspectives in Public Health, 144(4), 212-214.
Jenner, S., Barker, M., & Stanescu, S. (2023). Nobody knows young people like young people do!: Lessons on teens and Covid-19 from the researchers, a policymaker, and two of the young people who co-created the study. The Psychologist.
Fong, W. C. G., Rafiq, I., Harvey, M., Stanescu, S., Ainsworth, B., Varkonyi-Sepp, J., … & Kurukulaaratchy, R. J. (2022). The detrimental clinical associations of anxiety and depression with difficult asthma outcomes. Journal of personalized medicine, 12(5), 686.
Ghio, D., Lawes-Wickwar, S., Tang, M.Y., Epton, T., Howlett, N., Jenkinson, E., Stanescu, S., Westbrook, J., Kassianos, A.P., Watson, D. and Sutherland, L., 2021. What influences people’s responses to public health messages for managing risks and preventing infectious diseases? A rapid systematic review of the evidence and recommendations. BMJ open.
