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Interdisciplinary Research in Health Sciences (IRIHS)

>£10m in ongoing research studies

>50 peer-reviewed publications in 2018

14 doctoral students

RCGP Research Paper of the Year 2018

IRIHS, founded in 2015, is a mixed-method research unit led jointly by Professor Trish Greenhalgh and Associate Professor Sara Shaw. We undertake interdisciplinary research, teaching and applied scholarship in fields relating to clinical practice, organisation and delivery of health services, health policy, translational science (covering the social and behavioural science of innovation and adoption), digital health and the patient experience.

Interdisciplinary research in health sciences irihs

Highlights from our 2018 annual report:

  1. EXPANSION OF ACADEMIC STAFF. We have expanded considerably since 2017; we now have one Clinical Professor, one Associate Professor, three Senior Researchers, seven Postdoctoral Researchers, 15 DPhil students, three additional (predoctoral) researchers, four Academic Clinical Fellows, and five academic-related and support staff. 
  2. RESEARCH: Research income for new research studies in 2018 included £1.1M as principal investigators, including PARADIGM (patient involvement in industry-led trials, funded by European Commission) and QUARC (conversation analysis of video consultations, funded by NIHR). We have around £10M in ongoing research grants, including our NIHR-funded BRC theme (Partnerships for Health, Wealth and Innovation), SCALS (Studies in Co=creating Assisted Living Solutions, a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Award to Trish Greenhalgh), TOGETHER (Group clinics in diabetes, funded by NIHR). 
  3. PUBLICATION AND DISSEMINATION: IRIHS published 50 peer-reviewed academic articles in 2018. One paper (lead author Ellie Barry) won the overall category in Royal College of GPs Research Paper of the Year Award. We gave a number of high-profile keynote lectures, conference presentations and policy briefings. IRIHS senior staff sit on various policy groups e.g. Nick Fahy is Special Adviser to the House of Commons Select Committee on Brexit, Trish Greenhalgh chairs the Spoken Communication in Patient Safety Initiative for NHS Improvement and sits on the NHS England Primary Care Digital Transformation Group. 
  4. TEACHING: We have gained provisional approval to develop a new MSc and DPhil Programme in Translational Health Sciences, which (subject to final approvals) will take its first students in 2020. More information will be available shortly.
  5. DOCTORAL STUDENTS. Of our 15 DPhil students, in 2018 one passed with minor corrections; another has submitted and is awaiting viva. Two more are in the final stages of writing up. 
  6. CAREER PROGRESSION. Ellie Barry, Julian Treadwell and Jackie Walumbe commenced NIHR Doctoral Fellowships. Joe Wherton gained an OPEN Knowledge Translation Fellowship. Nick Fahy gained a Research Fellowship at Green Templeton College. Sara Shaw was promoted to Associate Professor.

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Doctoral students:

  1. Dominic Hurst (PT) 2012-.  General Dental Practitioners’ knowledge encounters. 
  2. Adrian Rohrbasser (PT). 2013- .Exploring why Quality Circles work in Primary Health Care: A realist approach about how, why and under what circumstances they work.  
  3. Samantha Roberts (PT) 2015-. Application of evidence on affordability and the use of co-design principles to enhance delivery of prevention programmes for type 2 diabetes in an area of high prevalence.
  4. Tim Stephens (based at Queen Mary University of London, PT) 2015-. What influences sustainability of quality improvement in acute healthcare settings?  
  5. Sietse Wieringa (PT) 2016-. A qualitative study of how mindlines develop and their link with clinical guidelines.
  6. Caitlin Pilbeam 2016-.  Doctoral studentship linked to Wellcome SCALS Senior Investigator Award. Wellbeing and assisted living solutions.
  7. Eleanor Barry (PT) 2018-. NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship. The patient experience of pre-diabetes. 
  8. Richard Gleave (PT) 2017-. Providing Government with evidence-based advice on the public's health.
  9. Katrin Micklitz (PT) 2017-. Mindfulness programmes in the workplace. 
  10. Mona Koshkouri 2018-. Implementation of the Falsified Medicines Directive.
  11. Jackie Walumbe (PT) 2018-. Supporting successful self-management strategies for people living with chronic pain.
  12. Jacobus Koetze 2018-. Hybrid models of clinical leadership - an ethical perspective.
  13. Julian Treadwell 2018-. Decision support for GPs managing polypharmic patients.
  14. Maryam Ahmadyer 2018-. Improving access of homeless people to dental services.
 

Our team:

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Explore our team's research.

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