Alison Richardson

Alison Richardson is a Clinical Professor of Cancer Nursing and End of Life Care at the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. She holds a clinical academic role combining research and practice, focusing on improving care for individuals with cancer and life-limiting illnesses. She is Director of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Wessex and the Southampton Academy of Research (SoAR), which supports health research workforce development across the Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, and University Hospital Southampton. Notable roles include a secondment as Head of Nursing Research (Academic Leadership & Strategy) with NHS England (2 days/week from 2020).

Her research interests include palliative care innovations, symptom management, clinical trials in oncology, and healthcare policy. She has led over 20 research projects funded by organizations like Macmillan Cancer Support, Prostate Cancer UK, and the NIHR. Key contributions include studies on end-of-life care transitions, fatigue management in cancer, and self-management interventions for cancer survivors.

Alison has been recognized with awards such as NIHR Senior Investigator (2016) and European Oncology Nursing Society Distinguished Merit Award (2003). Her publications span journals like Journal of Clinical Oncology and Trials, focusing on interdisciplinary solutions to improve patient outcomes. She currently supervises PhD student John Edward Defty.

Current initiatives include the REDUCe2 trial evaluating abdominal drain management for cirrhosis patients and the CLASP Cancer project optimizing primary care survivorship support. She collaborates with NHS England and international partners to translate research into clinical practice.