Ben Potts

Overview

Ben Potts is a diagnostic radiographer at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and a doctoral researcher at City St George’s, University of London.

In his clinical role, he provides X-ray imaging for patients attending the accident and emergency department, for inpatients across hospital wards and during a wide range of surgeries and specialist procedures. Working within a major trauma centre, much of his practice involves urgent and emergency imaging, where problem-solving and adaptability are essential. He finds delivering compassionate care in these high-pressure situations especially rewarding. Funded by a Research at the Frontier of Practice Doctoral Studentship, his PhD work - the NEEDs Project - focuses on improving emergency department care for autistic, ADHD and AuDHD adults. As an autistic, ADHD and dyslexic researcher, Ben combines professional knowledge with lived experience, aiming to drive meaningful change in healthcare.

Alongside these roles, Ben also engages in various professional and academic activities. He is a visiting lecturer at City St George’s, delivering teaching on the award-winning course, Person Centred Care Applications in Healthcare. He sits on the Joint Equalities Committee of the Society and College of Radiographers (the union and professional body of radiographers in the UK), offering a neurodivergent perspective on their equity, diversity, inclusion & belonging strategy. He reviews articles for Radiography and the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, and acted as the latter's Social Media Co-ordinator for the year of 2024.

Ben has presented at major conferences, including the Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy (2026), UK Imaging & Oncology Congress (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026), the European Congress of Radiology (2024), the British Medical Ultrasound Society Annual Scientific Meeting (2024 and 2025), and the Symposium Mammographicum (2025). 

As a student radiographer, Ben co-founded SSHINE, a national student group improving the support for neurodivergent students in nursing and the allied health professions. Notably, SSHINE wrote NHS guidance on supporting neurodivergent students on placement and, in collaboration with the Florence Nightingale Foundation, created an e-learning module for practice educators. Focusing on radiography, Ben developed a radiographic positioning guidebook aimed at helping neurodivergent students, published by the Society of Radiographers, which has supported hundreds of students. This work was recognised by several awards, including the UK Student Diagnostic Radiographer of the Year 2022 (Society of Radiographers) and the Forder Memorial Award (College of Radiographers).

Qualifications

• PhD, City, University of London, United Kingdom, 2024 - October 2031
• BSc Diagnostic Radiography, Birmingham City University, United Kingdom, October 2020 - July 2023

Employment

• Diagnostic Radiographer, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom, October 2023 - present
• Visiting Lecturer, City, University of London, United Kingdom, June 2023 - present

Title of thesis: Neurodivergent patient Experience of Emergency Departments (NEEDs) Project: Care and Accessibility for Autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD Adults in Emergency Departments

2024 - October 2031

Summary of research

The NEEDs Project (Neurodivergent patient Experience of Emergency Departments) is a participatory, mixed-methods research project supervised by Dr Christina Malamateniou and Dr Themis Karaminis based at CRRAG, City St George’s, University of London. It explores the experiences of autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD adults in UK emergency departments, focusing on barriers to equitable, accessible care.

Led by an AuDHD doctoral researcher and co-produced with neurodivergent community members through a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, the project aims to create practical, evidence-based recommendations to inform neurodivergent-inclusive practice and policy in emergency care.

Research students

1^stsupervisor

• Dr Christina Malamateniou, Director of CRRAG research group/Reader (Associate Professor)

2^ndsupervisor

• Dr Themis Karaminis, Lecturer in Psychology

Publications by category