Dr Blandine French.
Dr Blandine French is a lived-experience senior research fellow at the University of Nottingham, specialising in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Blandine’s research focuses on equipping GPs and other healthcare practitioners with the right knowledge and tools to identify ADHD, improve access to care and drive better outcomes.
Blandine previously thought that higher education was not for her, and instead worked in the hospitality industry as a restaurant manager. But after receiving her own ADHD diagnosis as an adult in 2010, she gained a deeper understanding of her learning styles and her need to study differently. It made her realise that university was possible after all – just with some minor adaptations.
She gained a degree in child psychology as a mature student, something she says she would have never achieved had it not been for her diagnosis.
In 2021, she completed her PhD in Applied Psychology at the University of Nottingham, investigating the awareness and understanding of ADHD in primary care. For her PhD, she developed and evaluated ADHD training alongside GPs to increase their awareness of ADHD, which has since been endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Blandine now works in clinical and research environments, primarily with parents, children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders. For the past decade, she has facilitated peer support groups for parents of children with ADHD and adult patients.
Her new project Recount looks at the cost of undiagnosed autism and/or ADHD to individuals, society and the economy. She has also set up a network of local key stakeholders in healthcare access for neurodiversity – the Nottingham Neurodiversity Network (NNN).
Blandine is regularly asked to contribute to written articles and speak at events on how to train GPs, achieve better outcomes and improve access to care for those with ADHD.