Danielle Huisman

My current role at the University of Sheffield involves analysing data for two publications—one quantitative, one qualitative—within a research project on infectious illness presenteeism (IIP). Drawing on the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), the project aims to identify the behavioural drivers of IIP, from structural influences to individual beliefs. This work reflects my wider interest in the psychological and social determinants of health, particularly how lived experience, social context, and narrative shape health-related decision-making and behaviour.

I hold a master's degree in clinical neuropsychology from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where my dissertation explored relationship between intelligence and recurrent processing in the visual cortex. After gaining experience through research roles in both consultancy and clinical settings, I completed a PhD in Health Psychology from King’s college London. My doctoral work investigated how biological, psychological, and social factors contribute to the development and persistence of abdominal pain in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease in remission (IBD), drawing on data from questionnaires, psychophysical assessments, interviews, and online resources. Building on this work, I went on to contribute to a research project at the University of Cambridge—incorporating Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE)—to examine the potential of a pain monitoring tool to support more meaningful communication between clinicians and people living with IBD.