Dr Stacey Bissell BSc, MRes, PhD

Dr Stacey Bissell

School of Psychology
Assistant Professor

Contact details

Telephone
0121 414 9775
Email
s.l.bissell@bham.ac.uk
Twitter

Dr Stacey Bissell conducts sleep-focused and behavioural research with children diagnosed with rare genetic syndromes associated with autism, epilepsy and intellectual disability. She has specific research expertise working with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), Smith-Magenis syndrome, Potocki-Lupski syndrome, SATB2-associated syndrome and Kleefstra syndrome. Her current work: i) profiles sleep and behaviour in children with TSC using actigraphy and mobile app technology, ii) profiles sleep in same-household siblings of children who have complex nocturnal health needs, and iii) utilises qualitative methodologies with TSC families to capture lived experiences and priorities for sleep management service provision and support.

Qualifications

2014 – 2018                        PhD Psychology University 麻豆精选
2013 – 2014                        MRes Clinical Psychology University 麻豆精选
2010 – 2013                        BSc Psychology with Honours, Class I University 麻豆精选

Biography

Dr Bissell graduated with a BSc in Psychology from the University 麻豆精选 in 2013 and completed her Master’s studies investigating the behavioural phenotype of Potocki-Lupski syndrome in 2014 under the supervision of Prof Chris Oliver and Dr Lucy Wilde at the Cerebra Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders. From 2014-2018, she was co-funded by Cerebra and the Tuberous Sclerosis Association to explore the early developmental profile of behaviours (e.g. self-injury, aggression, impulsivity) in young children with TSC. From 2018-2022, Dr Bissell completed two postdoctoral research posts at the Richards Lab and Cerebra Network (University 麻豆精选), alongside Teaching Fellow posts within the School of Psychology.

Postgraduate supervision

Dr Bissell currently supervises MSc students on both quantitative and qualitative research projects and supports MRes Clinical Psychology students as the Research Lead for this programme. Dr Bissell co-supervises PhD students and ClinPsyD students who work within the Cerebra Network with Dr Caroline Richards.

Research

Research interests include:

  1. Using direct observational sleep methodology to characterise putative associations between poor sleep, pain, mental health, social cognition and behaviour in rare genetic syndrome groups and wider implications to family well-being (same-household siblings).
  2. Exploring early developmental profiles in young children with neurodevelopmental disorders and the association between sleep disorders, epilepsy severity and autism characteristics on the presentation of daytime behaviours (e.g. self-injury, aggression, emotional outbursts).
  3. Profiling the behavioural phenotype of rare genetic syndromes via cross-syndrome behavioural comparisons with matched groups.
  4. Conducting qualitative interviews to capture the lived experiences of caregivers providing overnight care to children with complex health needs associated with a rare genetic syndrome diagnosis (e.g. Smith-Magenis syndrome, TSC).

Other activities

  • Research Lead (Eat/Sleep cluster) and co-Lead (Overactive/Impulsive cluster) as part of the TANDem project for the TAND consortium ()
  • Working group co-Lead for the Kleefstra syndrome consensus guidelines consortium
  • Member of the Midlands Sleep Group () 
  • Committee member of the Smith-Magenis syndrome Foundation UK Scientific and Clinical Advisory Group
  • Member of the Cerebra Network ()

Publications

Highlight publications

Bozhilova, N, Welham, A, Adams, D, Bissell, S, Bruining, H, Crawford, H, Eden, K, Nelson, L, Oliver, C, Powis, L, Richards, C, Waite, J, Watson, P, Rhys, H, Wilde, L, Woodcock, K & Moss, J 2023, '', Molecular Autism, vol. 14, no. 1, 3.

Vanclooster, S, Bissell, S, van Eeghen, A, Chambers, N, De Waele, L, Byars, A, Capal, J, Cukier, S, Davis, P, Flinn, J, Gardner-Lubbe, S, Gipson, T, Heunis, T-M, Hook, D, Kingswood, JC, Krueger, D, Kumm, A, Sahin, M, Schoeters, E, Smith, C, Srivastava, S, Takei, M, Waltereit, R, Jansen, A & de Vries, P 2022, '', Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, vol. 14, no. 1, 13 .

Agar, G, Bissell, S, Wilde, L, Over, N, Williams, C, Richards, C & Oliver, C 2022, '', Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, vol. 17, no. 1, 35.

Bissell, S, Oliver, C, Moss, J, Heald, M, Waite, J, Crawford, H, Kothari, V, Rumbellow, L, Walters, G & Richards, C 2022, '', Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, vol. 14, no. 1, 25.

Bissell, S, Wilde, L, Richards, C, Moss, J & Oliver, C 2018, '', Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, vol. 10, no. 1, 2.

Recent publications

Article

O鈥橲ullivan, R, Bissell, S, Agar, G, Spiller, J, Surtees, A, Heald, M, Clarkson, E, Khan, A, Oliver, C, Bagshaw, AP & Richards, C 2024, '', Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, vol. 16, no. 1, 18.

Shelley, L, Waite, J, Tarver, J, Oliver, C, Crawford, H, Richards, C & Bissell, S 2023, '', Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

O'Sullivan, R, Bissell, S, Hamilton, A, Bagshaw, A & Richards, C 2023, '', Sleep Medicine Reviews, vol. 71, 101814.

Heunis, T-M, Chambers, N, Vanclooster, S, Bissell, S, Byars, AW, Capal, JK, Cukier, S, Davis, PE, de Vries, MC, De Waele, L, Flinn, J, Gardner-Lubbe, S, Gipson, T, Kingswood, JC, Krueger, DA, Kumm, AJ, Sahin, M, Schoeters, E, Smith, C, Srivastava, S, Takei, M, van Eeghen, AM, Waltereit, R, Jansen, AC & de Vries, PJ 2023, '', Pediatric Neurology.

de Vries, PJ, Heunis, T-M, Vanclooster, S, Chambers, N, Bissell, S, Byars, AW, Flinn, J, Gipson, TT, van Eeghen, AM, Waltereit, R, Capal, JK, Cukier, S, Davis, PE, Smith, C, Kingswood, JC, Schoeters, E, Srivastava, S, Takei, M, Gardner-Lubbe, S, Kumm, AJ, Krueger, DA, Sahin, M, De Waele, L & Jansen, AC 2023, '', Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, vol. 15, no. 1, 32.

Watkins, A, Bissell, S, Moss, J, Oliver, C, Clayton-Smith, J, Haye, L, Heald, M & Welham, A 2019, '', Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, vol. 11, no. 1, 24.

Chapter

Oliver, C, Ellis, K, Agar, G, Bissell, S, Chung, JCY, Crawford, H, Pearson, E, Wade, K, Waite, J, Allen, D, Deeprose, L, Edwards, G, Jenner, L, Kearney, B, Shelley, L, Smith, K, Trower, H, Adams, D, Daniel, L, Groves, L, Heald, M, Moss, J, Richards, C, Royston, R, Tarver, J, Welham, A, Wilde, L & Woodcock, K 2022, . in AJ Esbensen & EK Schworer (eds), Contemporary Issues in Evaluating Treatment Outcomes in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. International Review of Research in Developmental Disabilities, vol. 62, Academic Press Inc., pp. 109-189.

Review article

Winsor, A, Richards, C, Bissell, S, Seri, S, Liew, A & Bagshaw, A 2021, '', Sleep Medicine Reviews, vol. 57, 101416.