Susan Michie

Born in St Pancras, London, Michie is the daughter of the biologist Dame Anne McLaren and computer scientist Donald Michie, and sister of the economist Jonathan Michie.[7][8]

Michie obtained a BA in experimental psychology from University College, Oxford in 1976, an MPhil in clinical psychology from the Institute of Psychiatry in 1978, and a DPhil in developmental psychology from University College, Oxford in 1982. She is a chartered clinical psychologist and a chartered health psychologist, and a fellow of the British Psychological Society.[9]

As a clinical psychologist she worked with adults and families on topics covering antenatal care, genetic counselling and occupational stress.[9] Her later career interests have been in designing and evaluating methods of behavioural change, especially in relation to wellbeing and health improvement.[9]

Michie worked as a clinical psychologist with children and families at the Royal Free Hospital, London. In 1989, she joined the Royal Free School of Medicine’s Health Psychology Unit as a senior research fellow in clinical health psychology. She developed a psychology service for staff, an organisational consultancy service for managers and taught a variety of professions. Her research focused on the areas of antenatal care and screening, and occupational stress in health care staff and students.[9][10][11]

In 1993, Michie moved to the Psychology and Genetics Research Group, King's College London where she conducted research into the process and outcome of genetic counselling, public and professional attitudes towards genetic testing, informed choice and decision making about prenatal screening and genetic testing, and the psychological impact of predictive genetic testing. She continued her clinical work, consultancy and research at the Royal Free Hospital’s Occupational Health and Safety Unit part-time.[12]

In 2002, Michie joined the Psychology Department of University College London (UCL), where she is Professor of Health Psychology. She is director of UCL’s Centre for Behaviour Change and of its Health Psychology Research Group.[9]

Her current research includes developing methodologies for designing and evaluating theory-based interventions to change behaviour, and advancing scientific knowledge about, and applications of, behaviour change interventions. She leads the Human Behaviour-Change Project funded by the Wellcome Trust.[13][14]

Michie has served as president of the European Health Psychology Society and chair of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Health Psychology.[9]

In July 2022, Michie was appointed chair of the WHO’s Behavioural Advisory Group.[15] She will advise the WHO on how to increase adherence to vaccination campaigns and other initiatives that influence national health policy. Some social media users expressed concern over her hiring due to Michie's stances during the COVID epidemic.[16]

Michie was married from 1981 to 1997 to the trade union official Andrew Murray and has three children.

She married psychologist Robert West,[25] Emeritus Professor at University College London,[26] in 2009.

Michie is a member of the Communist Party of Britain[27][25] and was also member of its predecessor the Communist Party of Great Britain.[28] In March 2018, she spoke at a public meeting saying that communists should be "working full tilt" for the election of Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister.[29][30] She made a £14,000 donation to Labour under Corbyn's leadership.[31][32] She has stated that her political positions are unrelated to her scientific advice.[33]

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