Dr Rachel Calam worked at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital as a clinical psychologist before becoming lecturer in child and adolescent clinical psychology at the University of Liverpool.

She took up her current appointment at the University of Manchester in 1992, where she is now Reader in clinical psychology. Her research is in the area of parenting and child adjustment, with a particular interest in parenting and asthma. She has a long standing interest in the use of new media and technologies in assessment and therapy, and a computer assisted interview, "In My Shoes", for vulnerable children and adults, is now being disseminated internationally. She collaborates on research on novel forms of implementation of parenting interventions including media and internet-based delivery of the Triple P Positive Parenting Program.