Leah McLaughlin

Leah McLaughlin is a Research Fellow at the School of Health Sciences, Bangor University, Wales, specializing in health services research with emphasis on organ donation systems, patient involvement, and complexity science. Her work integrates qualitative methodologies to address critical healthcare policy challenges across the UK, particularly in Wales.

Education:

• PhD, Cardiff Metropolitan University (2015)
• MA Creative practices (2007)
• BA, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (2005)

Dr. McLaughlin's research examines organ donation frameworks including England's opt-out legislation, kidney disease management, and dialysis services through social science lenses. She pioneers mixed-methods approaches to investigate family decision-making in pediatric organ donation, healthcare professional experiences during policy transitions, and value-based healthcare implementation using patient-reported outcomes. Her fingerprint analysis reveals dominant themes in organ donation (100%), Wales-specific healthcare contexts (93%), kidney disease (49%), and opt-out systems (48%), demonstrating deep specialization in transplantation ethics and policy evaluation.

Recent publications (2025) show concentrated focus on realist evaluations of healthcare programmes, social return on investment analyses, and qualitative investigations into organ donation consent mechanisms. These works collectively highlight trends toward policy impact assessment, family-centered decision support systems, and pandemic-influenced healthcare adaptations within transplantation services.

Scientific Awards:

• European Society of Organ Donation and Transplant (ESOT) Future of Renal Transplantation Research Bursary (2017)
• Finalist, Advancing Health Care Awards UK (2018)
• Finalist, Health and Care Research Wales Patient and Public Involvement Awards (2022)
• Finalist, Health and Care Research Wales Involving People (2018)
• Finalist HSJ Partnership awards for pandemic dialysis communication (2021)

As Principal Investigator for the 2025-2028 project Imagining The Unimaginable: How Can We Support More Parents to Donate Their Children’s Organs After they Die, Dr. McLaughlin secures significant research funding while serving on Health and Care Research Wales committees and the British Sociology Association's Medical Sociology Group. Her grant portfolio demonstrates strategic focus on translating organ donation research into practical family support frameworks and policy recommendations.

She co-leads the Kidney Research Unit Wales initiative and the Deconstructing Donation Special Interest Group, fostering national collaborations between healthcare providers, policymakers, and patient advocacy organizations to advance organ donation practices through interdisciplinary teamwork.