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Dr Rory Sheehan

Senior Clinical Lecturer

Research interests

  • Disability

Contact details

Biography

Dr Rory Sheehan specialises in research with people with intellectual disability and neurodevelopmental disorders. His work uses qualitative and quantitative methods to explore important topics related to the health and healthcare of this group and their carers, with a clinically-applied focus. He is particularly interested in improving services and outcomes by addressing inappropriate medication use, physical health conditions, and the health inequities that people with intellectual disabilities and autism experience.

Dr Sheehan is establishing a programme of work investigating the epidemiology, needs, interventions, and services for people with intellectual disability and neurodevelopmental disorders who offend or encounter the Criminal Justice System. He works clinically as an honorary consultant psychiatrist in a forensic community service for adults with intellectual and neurodevelopmental disorders in south London.

Dr Sheehan joined KCL in December 2020 after completing his PhD at University College London. 

Research Interests

  • Intellectual (learning) disability and autism
  • Interface between intellectual disability, neurodevelopmental disorders, mental illness, and offending behaviour
  • Forensic psychiatry
  • Health inequities
  • Health services research

Expertise and Public Engagement

  • Council member, Intellectual Disability Forum, Royal Society of Medicine
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities
  • Editorial board member, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research  

    Research

    london
    London Down Syndrome Consortium (LonDownS)

    London Down Syndrome Consortium is a multidisciplinary group of clinicians, human geneticists, developmental psychologists, mouse geneticists, psychiatrists and cellular scientists working towards understanding dementia in people with Down syndrome.

    Pink heart banner
    Learning from Lives and Deaths - people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR)

    The latest annual LeDeR report in collaboration with our academic partners on behalf of NHS England.

    News

    2022 LeDeR report into the avoidable deaths of people with learning disabilities

    The 2022 LeDeR report, which seeks to investigate and learn from the avoidable deaths of people with a learning disability in England, was published today.

    Two people comforting each other by holding hands

    2021 LeDeR report into the avoidable deaths of people with learning disabilities

    The 2021 LeDeR report, which seeks to investigate and learn from the avoidable deaths of people with a learning disability in England, was published today.

    Arms and hands of someone looking over a lake

    Dr Sheehan teaches on the Clinical Neurodevelopmental Sciences MSc and Forensic Mental Health MSc at the IoPPN. He is co-lead of the ‘Intellectual Disability and Forensic Aspects of Neurodevelopmental Disorders’ module.

    Dr Sheehan welcomes enquiries from potential PhD students.

      Research

      london
      London Down Syndrome Consortium (LonDownS)

      London Down Syndrome Consortium is a multidisciplinary group of clinicians, human geneticists, developmental psychologists, mouse geneticists, psychiatrists and cellular scientists working towards understanding dementia in people with Down syndrome.

      Pink heart banner
      Learning from Lives and Deaths - people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR)

      The latest annual LeDeR report in collaboration with our academic partners on behalf of NHS England.

      News

      2022 LeDeR report into the avoidable deaths of people with learning disabilities

      The 2022 LeDeR report, which seeks to investigate and learn from the avoidable deaths of people with a learning disability in England, was published today.

      Two people comforting each other by holding hands

      2021 LeDeR report into the avoidable deaths of people with learning disabilities

      The 2021 LeDeR report, which seeks to investigate and learn from the avoidable deaths of people with a learning disability in England, was published today.

      Arms and hands of someone looking over a lake

      Dr Sheehan teaches on the Clinical Neurodevelopmental Sciences MSc and Forensic Mental Health MSc at the IoPPN. He is co-lead of the ‘Intellectual Disability and Forensic Aspects of Neurodevelopmental Disorders’ module.

      Dr Sheehan welcomes enquiries from potential PhD students.