Pauline Whelan

Pauline Whelan is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Digital Health at the University of Manchester, associated with the Division of Informatics, Imaging & Data Sciences (L5). She holds multiple roles including Academic & Technical Lead of the Digital Health Software Team, Digital Director of the GM.Digital Research Unit (Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust), and Chief Technology Officer at CareLoop Health Ltd, a University spin-out focusing on digital mental health solutions.

Her qualifications include a BA (Mod Hons) in Computer Science, MSc in Psychology, and PhD in Higher Education Policy. Research focuses on digital health interventions, particularly in mental health, chronic pain management, and co-design methodologies with marginalized populations. She leads projects addressing gig worker mental health, technology-assisted sexual abuse survivors, and culturally-adapted family interventions for psychosis.

Key research interests include digital screening tools for postnatal depression, clustering analysis for chronic pain subgroups, and participatory design approaches with lived experience contributors. She has contributed to 30+ research outputs and led datasets such as a core mental health collection tool for clinical trials and app-based interventions for frontline workers.

Whelan's work aligns with UN SDG 3 (Good Health & Well-being) through scalable digital solutions. Current projects include a systems approach to gig worker mental health resilience and prototypes for pharmacogenomics services in primary care. She collaborates across academia, industry, and NHS trusts to bridge technological innovation with healthcare delivery.