I am Professor of Health Services Research, and a behavioural scientist who is interested in improving behaviours to improve health. I am co-director of the Scottish School of Primary Care and Head of Research in the Department of Nursing and Midwifery at UHI. I have published over 125 papers in peer-reviewed journals. My methodological expertise is the design, implementation and evaluation of complex interventions, including feasibility and pilot studies, full RCTs and process evaluations. 

Current research projects include:

• Covid Health and Adherence Research in Scotland (CHARIS), funded by the Chief Scientist Office (CSO), Edinburgh via their Rapid Research in COVID-19 Programme 
• HALT: Hernia Active Living Trial, funded by Bowel Research UK, Ileostomy & Internal Pouch Association and Kingston Trust CIO

I was founding convenor of a premier research group within the National Cancer Research Institute (2012-2016) – Lifestyle and Behaviour Change Research Group. My research with Teenage Cancer Trust has been cited in the England and Scotland national cancer strategies and raised in the Scottish parliament.

As a research leader in my field, I am regularly invited to review for national and international research funding bodies. I am an Associate editor of the journal Pilot and Feasiblity Studies.

Education  PhD  University of Sunderland  1997

Computing Science  MSc  University of Newcastle Upon Tyne  1993

Post-Graduate Certificate in Education University of York 1988

Sociology/Social Policy  BA Hons  University of Leeds  1986   

• Supervisor of 12 PhD/MPhil/Clinical doctorate students (6 currently graduated)
• External examiner for 9 PhD/MPhil students; Internal examiner for 2 students

Throughout my career, I have had several post-graduate course leadership responsibilities.  At UHI, I currently take responsibility for research-related topics on post-graduate and under-graduate teaching programmes. I am module lead for the ‘research dissertation’ module in the Advanced Practitioner Masters degree programme. I have a PGCE.