- Claudia Hammond
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For the fictional Home and Away character, see Claudia Hammond (Home and Away).
Claudia Hammond Born 1971
United KingdomOccupation Journalist and broadcaster Nationality British Official website Claudia Hammond (born 1971) is an author, occasional TV presenter, and frequent radio presenter with the BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4.
Contents
Education
Hammond was educated at Sussex University in applied psychology,[1], and Surrey University, where she gained a MSc in Health Psychology, carrying out research into doctor–patient communication in a breast cancer unit.
She currently presents Health Check on BBC World Service Radio.[2]
Career
Author
Hammond is the author of a book on the science of emotions titled Emotional Rollercoaster, published in 2005. Reviews were positive, with one [3] saying that although it contained 'rare errors' these mistakes were are 'vastly outweighed by the wealth of fascinating observations' and that 'humour, sensitivity and warmth... emanate from every page'.
In July 2009, The Bookseller announced that Hammond would be writing a book on the psychology of time entitled Thinking Time: Adventures in the New Psychology of Time. The book was described as looking 'at time perception, focusing on how we can improve our relationship with time.' [4]
Radio Presenter
This is the field of work for which Hammond is probably best known. She has said that she decided that she wanted to work in radio quite suddenly, although early. "I was at a children’s book festival and, after I had queued up to get Roald Dahl’s autograph, he asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up. I’m told I said “I want to work in radio”. That was the first my parents knew about it. It was probably the first time I realised." [1]
She presents programmes about psychology on BBC Radio 4, including All in the Mind. She currently presents Health Check on BBC World Service Radio.[2]
TV Presenter
In addition to presenting a Friday Health Check slot on BBC World News every Friday, Hammond has appeared on several other TV programmes (such as the One Show and BBC Breakfast) commenting on psychological topics. In the past, as reporter, she presented science and medical features for Channel 5 News. [5]
Journalistic Philosophy
Hammond has said that she tries to "give people a better understanding of the role psychology plays. Helping people articulate and get across a seemingly technical piece of good research is central to my approach. I also like bringing different specialists together – it’s amazing how often people who are hugely expert in one area of psychology know next to nothing about related work in a slightly different field." [1]
Despite her varied portfolio, Hammond gave 'be choosy' as a piece of careers advice advice in one interview:
"Popular programmes are fine – "I sometimes go on Richard & Judy to talk about psychological research – but if I think a show is going to dumb it down, I say no. And sometimes they’re looking for is a qualified therapist, and that’s not me."[1]
Awards and Nominations
- 2011 – Shortlisted for the British Psychological Society's Award for Public Engagement & Media.
- 2011 - Shortlisted for Mind Journalist of the Year Award. Results announced in late November 2011
- 2010 - Best Radio Programme, The Population Institute's Global Media Awards.
- 2009 – Shortlisted for Best Factual Radio Programme in the Mental Health Media Awards
- 2009 – 'Highly commended' for the PPA Magazine Columnist of the Year Award
- 2008 - Shortlisted for the Premio Luchetta Award for International Humanitarian Journalism
- 2008 - Shortlisted for the Medical Journalism Awards
- 2007 - Shortlisted for Science Writing in a non-science context award, by Association of British Science Writers
- 2000 - Runner Up - Mental Health Media Awards
References
- ^ a b c d Florance, Ian (2009). "A Rollercoaster Ride". The Psychologist (British Psychological Society url= http://www.claudiahammond.com/BPSinterview.pdf) 22 (5).
- ^ a b "Find a Programme - Health Check". BBC World Service. 2008-12-01. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/health_check.shtml. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
- ^ Evans, Dylan (2005-03-05). "Fasten Your Seatbelts". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/mar/05/featuresreviews.guardianreview22. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
- ^ "Thebookseller.com". The Bookseller. http://www.thebookseller.com/news/canongate-signs-pop-psych-titles.html. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
- ^ "Claudiahammond.com". Claudia Hammond. http://www.claudiahammond.com/page4.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
External links
Categories:- 1971 births
- Alumni of the University of Surrey
- Alumni of the University of Sussex
- BBC newsreaders and journalists
- BBC World Service
- Living people
- BBC Radio stubs
- British radio people stubs
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