Professor Helen Dodd

Helen is a Professor of Child Psychology at the University of Exeter Medical School. She is an expert in child mental health. She has received awards for her research, most recently from the British Psychology Society for her outstanding contribution to developmental psychology. She has also received funding from a range of organisations including the Royal Society and British Academy. She currently holds a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, which funds a program of work examining the relationship between children's adventurous play and mental health. Helen is a strong advocate for children’s right to play; during the pandemic she led the playfirstUK campaign calling for children's play to be prioritised and she worked with Save the Children and Play England to campaign for a Summer of Play in 2021. 

Helen is the Chair of the Adventure Mind Research and Evidence Panel