Verity Westgate

Hello, my name is Verity.

I have worked with Autism Oxford UK since 2022 delivering autism training to community perinatal mental health teams. I was inspired to develop this training after my own experiences being diagnosed as autistic whilst being looked after in one of these teams and was delighted to have the opportunity to work with Autism Oxford UK to produce it.

In my day job, I work as a project manager in clinical research at the University of Oxford, but I spend a lot of time as an “expert by experience”, working with NHS England and the Royal College of Psychiatrists amongst others. I am also a PhD student at the University of Exeter; my PhD is looking at the experiences of autistic women accessing community perinatal mental health services, aiming to develop recommendations to be used within the NHS. You could say that this is a special interest of mine!

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my little girl doing crafts, reading and going on adventures. For myself, I like swimming, reading, doing crochet and drinking decaf coffee.