Professor Louise Bryant

Biography

Louise Bryant is a Professor of Psychological and Social Medicine at the University of Leeds, and a chartered psychologist. Her applied health research focuses on psychosocial aspects of prenatal screening technologies: considering how to improve decision support for women offered prenatal screening and diagnostic testing for Down’s syndrome in pregnancy.

Her research on the social context of prenatal testing has investigated how people in different societies view learning disability and screening technologies, and the social influences these societal factors have on women making decisions.

Louise holds leadership roles in the development, implementation and evaluation of national policy and guidance on fetal anomaly screening and the development and delivery of national training programmes impacting on the delivery and experience of antenatal healthcare. In 2019, she was the first social scientist member appointed to the UK NSC.