We specialise in organisational culture & people engagement.
Individual Social Capital and Career Success: Examining the Career Journeys of Disabled NHS Employees
How does individual social capital impact career success for disabled people working in the NHS?
Sandie Buchan
Welcome to my PhD research web-page.
I am a PhD doctoral student at the University of Sheffield, within the Institute of Work Psychology at the School of Management.
This page will keep you up to date with the progress of my research. You’ll find access to my latest presentations, recordings, and published papers. I also welcome your insights and lived experiences – your contributions are valuable and can help shape the work.
Research Update - January 2026
Thank you to everyone who has completed the survey and/or participated in an interview.
Your voices have been heard and I will use your experiences to try and create change for disabled people.
I will be presenting my research findings at the Disability Studies Conference, University of Leeds, in April 2026
Presentations / Posters / Articles / Abstracts
This Disability History Month, the British Psychological Society wrote an article about my research study which looks at the impact of social capital (network of relationships) on the career success of disabled people.
Click on the picture below to read the full article.
Disability History Month 2025 (Nov - Dec 2025)
National Inclusion Week (September 2025)
Career Success Through Inclusive Networking
Click on the picture below to read the full article.
For National Inclusion Week 2026, The Association for Business Psychology published an article that I wrote on the preliminary findings of my research.
Do our professional networks influence career successs?
Absolutely. And that presents a problem.
Employees with protected characteristics - such as disability, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation often find it harder to form strong networks.
Sandra Buchan shares emerging insights from her PhD research on the career experiences of disabled employees.
Disability History Month 2024 (Nov -Dec 2024)
This Disability History Month, the British Psychological Society wrote an article about my research study which looks at the impact of social capital (network of relationships) on the career success of disabled people.
Click on the picture below to read the full article.
An accompanying video clip to this article can be found on Linkedin -
Please click on the picture:
Research update presentation:
Disabled NHS Directors Network
15th July 2024
Please click on the image to download the presentation slides.
"The one person who has helped me the most in my career is the same person who was the most horrible to me. I never want to speak to this person again, but if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I am now." (study participant)
British Psychological Society
Division of Occupational Psychology
Conference 2024
The Value we Bring...
To the Careers of Others
A poster presented at the DOP 2024 conference in Sheffield.
15-17 May 2024
