I am interested in supervising DPhil (PhD) students on projects which focus on communication and language in healthcare settings. Potential project titles are advertised here: 

https://www.phc.ox.ac.uk/study/dphil/graduate-research-projects

I am also happy for potential students to get in touch to discuss other project ideas with a focus on empirical analysis of healthcare communication. 

In 2023 I received the University of Oxford's 'Excellent Supervisor' Award recognising my supportive and inclusive supervisory approach.

No One Knows How to Talk About Weight Loss Anymore - TIME Magazine

Let’s Talk About Obesity & Clinical Communication - Springer Nature

How doctors communicate with patients with obesity can have a significant impact on their weight loss success - BBC World Service 'Health Check',  Interview

Researchers find GPs mostly tell patients to 'eat less and do more' - Daily Mail, Interview

The Qualitative Research Series - Uncovering the machinery behind interaction through conversation analysis with Dr Charlotte Albury. The Words Matter Podcast 

Why didn’t people follow the government’s advice on COVID-19? Research on Language and Social Interaction, Guest Blog

Talking Meds: Finding the words to communicate Covid-19 travel risk. Somerville College, Guest Blog

I am a medical anthropologist researching how communication and language in clinical settings can support changes to health behaviours.

Research

My research focuses on understanding relationships between communication and language used in healthcare settings and behaviour change (including dietary change, physical activity, smoking cessation, and treatment adherence). I use qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to study real interactions, and to develop and evaluate communication interventions, training, and guidance for professionals.

My work has contributed to national guidelines, and I have advised government and policy makers. I am a member of the NICE Adoption and Impact Reference Panel, and an honorary member of the University of Oxford's Faculty of Linguistics. I am a member of the International Association for Communication in Healthcare, and I am an active part of the Policy and Practice Committee. I am an editor for BMC Primary Care. In 2022 I was the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) Principal Investigator of the Year.

Since 2015 I have held personal fellowships from NIHR SPCR, the Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness, and currently hold an EDI Themed Fellowship from The Healthcare Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute. I also currently lead a range of projects aiming to understand and improve communication in healthcare settings, and lead substantive qualitative work-packages on large programmes of work, including TRIDENT, and SAVINGS

Current Projects Include:

Understanding and improving primary care prevention advice for people who experience multiple long-term conditions and socioeconomic deprivation

LightCOM (​The Lighthouse Consortium on Obesity Management)

Understanding the role of healthy weight coaches in the weight management system

Research Interests  

Behaviour change communication in healthcare settings

Advice Giving in healthcare setting

Conversation analysis

Qualitative methods

Qualitative methods in clinical trials

Teaching and training

I am a fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and I hold a postgraduate certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (PGCert Teaching and Learning in HE), awarded with Distinction. 

From 2018-2022 I was course Director for Oxford Qualitative courses, and from 2016-2024 I co-led the University of Oxford's NVivo courses.

I currently teach qualitative methods on a range of courses across the University, including leading courses for the medical sciences division: 

Collecting qualitative data: Interviews and focus groups

Consultancy

I offer consultancy to external organisations supported by Oxford Innovations since 2022. This includes:

• Bespoke qualitative methods training, including data collection, data analysis, and data management with NVivo.
• Research consultancy focussed on qualitative methods or communication science.

My consultancy work has included work for universities across the UK and Europe, and a range of organisations including the Wildfowl Wetlands Trust, the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT). 

• Let’s talk about weight: a step-by-step guide to conversations about weight management with children and families for health and care professionals - Public Health England, Guidance.
• Language Matters: Obesity - Obesity UK, Guidance
• Supportive and effective conversations about weight management referrals - Training Resource, with Public Health England
• Practical tips and audio clips for delivering very brief weight loss interventions - Training Resource, CPD Accredited

Hello Doctor: Art and poems created by people living with obesity

Communicating Care: Poetry, dance, and the science of difficult clinical conversations