Dr Stephan Dombrowski is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of New Brunswick. A Health Psychologist, he obtained his PhD from the University of Aberdeen and specializes in behaviour change interventions. His research focuses on weight management, digital health technologies, and psychological mechanisms underlying health behaviours. Research encompasses: Development of text-message interventions for weight loss Application of behaviour change theory to health contexts Digital health solutions for chronic conditions Dyadic interventions for post-stroke rehabilitation Current projects include digital interventions for obesity management, sun safety programs for youth, and stroke rehabilitation technologies.
Dr Charlotte Hardacre is a Researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University's Faculty of Health and Education, specializing in learning disabilities, family support, and digital health. She leads research projects including Our Digital Health (NIHR-funded) and the interdisciplinary Pipeworks initiative, focusing on equitable research systems. Her work integrates participatory and cross-cultural methods, particularly in Jamaica-UK collaborations. PhD in Authenticity in Family Learning Practices (Lancaster University) External Examiner for University of Suffolk and Teesside University Member of the Learning Disabilities and Autism, Youth and Community, and Institute for Children’s Futures research clusters Her research explores authentic family learning , digital health accessibility , and institutional reform . Google Scholar and LinkedIn profiles highlight 15+ publications spanning peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and conference presentations. Current projects emphasize trauma-informed approaches, social justice, and creative methodologies. In practice, she applies her research as a Family Support Practitioner at a Residential Family Assessment Centre, bridging academic insights with frontline work. Conference presentations (e.g., International Transformative Learning Conference) demonstrate her commitment to global dialogue on family literacy and wellbeing.
Amirah Akhtar is a NIHR ARC (Y&H) funded Research Fellow at the University of Bradford's Centre for Applied Dementia Studies (CfADS). Her research focuses on dementia prevention in minority ethnic groups, particularly examining modifiable risk factors like depression. With a PhD in Psychology, she employs qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews and thematic analysis. She has contributed to studies like the NIDUS project, delivering interventions for dementia patients and carers, and worked on the Born in Bradford cohort. Her work emphasizes cultural contexts in mental health, including maternal experiences and postnatal depression in South Asian communities. Her academic journey includes roles at Bradford Institute of Health Research (BIHR) and Bradford Teaching Hospitals Trust (BTHFT), where she engaged in patient/public involvement to promote dementia-friendly healthcare spaces. Amirah’s research spans dementia risk factors, non-pharmacological interventions, and reducing social isolation in marginalized populations. She has led scoping reviews exploring interventions for depression and dementia prevention across OECD countries. Her methodologies blend quantitative and qualitative approaches, addressing health equity through culturally sensitive practices. Amirah’s grants include NIHR funding for her postdoctoral work. She collaborates with multidisciplinary teams on projects like the NIDUS-Professional training program for homecare workers. Her work bridges academic research and practical healthcare solutions, aiming to improve dementia care and mental health outcomes in diverse populations.
Professor Graham Moore is a Professor at Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences and Director of DECIPHer, a research group focusing on interventions to improve health and reduce inequalities. He specializes in evaluating policies and social interventions outside healthcare systems, particularly in public health and health equity. His work includes leading evaluations of the EU Tobacco Products Directive, the Primary School Free Breakfast Initiative, and the National Exercise Referral Scheme. He chairs the NIHR Public Health Research funding committee and is a Senior Research Leader at Health and Care Research Wales. He co-leads health and wellbeing research in the ESRC-funded Behavioral Research UK hub and leads mental health research in schools at the Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health. His research emphasizes methodological innovation, including authoring influential MRC process evaluation and intervention adaptation guidelines. He has secured a €3m grant for a family well-being program in Eastern Europe and contributed to studies on adolescent mental health, school transitions, and the impact of policies like smoke-free workplaces. His work spans qualitative and quantitative methods, addressing health disparities through school-based interventions, global health initiatives, and policy analysis.
Rajnikant Mehta is a Senior Clinical Trials Statistician at Queen Mary University of London, affiliated with the Wolfson Institute of Population Health and Barts Clinical Trials Unit. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computing from the University of Greenwich, an MSc in Medical Statistics from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice from the University of Southampton. With over 25 years of expertise, he has contributed to medical statistics, clinical trial design, and epidemiology across institutions including MRC Clinical Research Centre, GlaxoSmithKline, and multiple UK universities. His research focuses on optimizing clinical trial methodologies (e.g., cluster RCTs, stepped-wedge designs) and improving patient outcomes in areas like pain management and surgical trials. He has supported NIHR grant applications and collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to design fundable clinical trials. His work emphasizes methodological rigor and translational research to address public health challenges. Rajnikant’s publications span surgical outcomes, pain management innovations, and systematic reviews in specialties like ophthalmology and neurology. He has contributed to guideline development and quality improvement initiatives in primary care, emphasizing patient safety and avoidable harm reduction. His career includes academic teaching roles and leadership in clinical trial units across the UK.
Dr Ann-Marie Gibson is a Lecturer in Sport & Exercise Psychology at the Australian Catholic University (ACU), affiliated with the School of Exercise Science within the Faculty of Health Sciences. She holds dual campus appointments at ACU's Blacktown and Strathfield campuses. Previously, she served as a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, demonstrating an international academic footprint. Her educational and professional background includes being a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, reflecting her commitment to evidence-based teaching and student-centered learning. She is also an Associate Member of the Australian Psychological Society and accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences. Ann-Marie's research centers on the psychological determinants of physical activity and sedentary behaviour, particularly in children and adolescents. She investigates obesity prevention strategies, behaviour change mechanisms, and mental well-being in both educational and workplace settings. Her work often employs systematic reviews, feasibility trials, and mixed-methods evaluations, with a strong emphasis on intervention translation and implementation science. Her recent publications reveal a consistent focus on physical activity promotion, sedentary behaviour reduction, and childhood obesity prevention. These studies utilize frameworks like RE-AIM and target diverse populations including schoolchildren, office workers, and families in socioeconomically deprived areas. Interventions often involve digital tools, teacher-led programs, and family-based approaches. ACU Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (Team) - 2021 Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy - 2022 Ann-Marie has secured and contributed to multiple research grants, serving as Principal Investigator and Co-investigator on projects funded by ACU, the Scottish Funding Council, and the Hannah Foundation. She has supervised PhD students and collaborated with institutions in the UK, Australia, Canada, and the USA. Her advisory role extends to guiding evidence-based practice in clinical supervision and student retention. She is actively involved in public engagement through platforms like The Conversation and the INSPIRE toolkit, translating research into accessible insights. Her work with the Welbot project exemplifies her engagement with industry partners to validate digital health interventions.
Jens Søndergaard is a Professor at the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark. He serves as the director of the Research Unit of General Practice and is affiliated with the Danish Aging Research Center. His academic and clinical expertise lies in general practice, clinical pharmacology, and public health research. University: University of Southern Denmark School: Faculty of Health Sciences Department: Department of Public Health Position: Professor Email: JSoendergaard@health.sdu.dk His primary research interests include general practice, primary health care, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), comorbidities, prescribing patterns, and aging. His work emphasizes improving healthcare delivery and patient safety in primary care settings. His recent publications focus on self-care interventions in gestational diabetes, antibiotic use in nursing homes, video consultations in cancer care, and accreditation in general practice. These studies reflect a strong trend toward improving quality, safety, and efficiency in primary and cross-sectoral healthcare using both interventional and observational methodologies. Scientific awards include: Paper of the Year Award (2022) Expertscape World Expert in General Practice (2020, 2021, 2022) Kraks Blå Bog recognition He has supervised multiple students, including PhD and Master’s candidates, and is involved in teaching and academic leadership. He leads significant research projects such as the Danish Symptom Cohort (DaSC) and contributes to initiatives on medication safety, continuity of care, and digital health. His work is frequently featured in press and media, underscoring its societal impact.
Joanne McKenzie is a Professor and Head of the Methods in Evidence Synthesis Unit at Monash University's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. She holds an NHMRC Investigator Grant (L1) and leads research on evidence synthesis methodologies. Her expertise spans meta-analysis, systematic reviews, interrupted time series designs, and statistical methods. She has contributed to the Cochrane Collaboration, the PRISMA Executive, and guidelines like the CONSORT extension for cluster randomised trials. Education: PhD in Biostatistics (Monash University), MSc, PGDip in Applied Statistics, BSc (University of Otago). Research focuses on improving reporting standards, evaluating public health interventions, and advancing methodological approaches in evidence synthesis. Notable projects include updating PRISMA guidelines and developing methods for interrupted time series analysis. She actively supervises doctoral students and has received awards such as the Cochrane Bill Silverman Prize and NHMRC Research Excellence Award. Her work contributes to Sustainable Development Goals related to health and well-being. Key collaborations include studies on flood-related hospitalizations and multi-country health interventions. Grants and projects span topics like environmental health, dietary guidelines, and aging research.
Pamela Abbott is a Professor and Chair in Education at the School of Education, University of Aberdeen, where she also serves as Director of the Centre for Global Development. She is affiliated with the Centre for Civil Society, the Rule of Law, and the New Europe Centre. Her educational background includes a PhD in Sociology/Social Policy (1982), an MSc in Sociology with Politics from Birkbeck College, University of London (1975), and a BSc in Sociology from the University of London (1970). Her research centers on gender, wellbeing, quality of life, social quality, and socio-political transformations across the UK, Europe, the former Soviet Union, East Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa. She employs both qualitative and quantitative methods and has published extensively, including best-selling books like An Introduction to Sociology: Feminist Perspectives and recent works on democratization in the Arab world. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on mental wellbeing in educational settings, adult literacy in Rwanda, gender and modern slavery, and diet and public health. These works reflect interdisciplinary engagement across sociology, education, public health, and international development, often using critical realist frameworks and mixed methods. She has received significant recognition, including: Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Pamela Abbott supervises PhD students in Applied Health Sciences, Politics and International Relations, and Sociology. She leads major funded projects such as the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Promoting Children's Mental Wellbeing in sub-Saharan Africa (£2.8m) and the Scotland Rwanda Programme on adult literacies in Rwanda (£1.6m). She is also a co-investigator on multiple international projects related to post-COVID recovery, modern slavery, unpaid care work, and democratization in Tunisia. She collaborates with institutions including the University of Addis Ababa, University of Rwanda, and Institute of Policy Analysis and Research-Rwanda, and actively engages in knowledge exchange through public platforms like The Conversation and Open Democracy.
Professor Myfanwy Maple is a leading academic in the field of social work and mental health at the University of New England, based in Armidale, NSW, Australia. She is a Professor in the School of Health and serves as the Director of the Manna Institute, a national virtual research center focused on mental health and wellbeing in regional communities. With over two decades of research experience, her work centers on trauma, suicide exposure, bereavement, and resilience, particularly among vulnerable youth and regional populations. Education: PhD Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Education (GCTE) Graduate Certificate in Adolescent Health and Welfare (GradCertAdolHlthWelf) Bachelor of Social Work (Honours Class I) (BSW(Hons1)) Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) Her research interests emphasize lived experience, narrative inquiry, and co-creation in suicide prevention and postvention. She supervises PhD, MPhil, and Honours students using mixed and qualitative methods. Her recent publications highlight trends in suicide exposure, workplace mental health, moral injury in veterans, and community-based interventions. She has led significant studies on the LifeSpan suicide prevention model and the impact of natural disasters on mental health. Key Scientific and Professional Roles: Director, Manna Institute Director, Board of batyr Deputy Chair, National Suicide Prevention Research Fund Advisory Committee Member, Prime Minister’s Suicide Prevention Advisors Expert Advisory Group (2019) Co-Chair, International Association for Suicide Prevention Postvention and Bereavement SIG Member, Australian Association of Social Workers Professor Maple is actively involved in advising, grant-funded research, and policy development. She leads national and international collaborations, particularly in suicide prevention and trauma-informed care. Her work is embedded in community and school settings, such as the Social Work in Schools (SWiS) program, which she co-developed to support rural youth. Her research is widely published, with over 150 peer-reviewed articles, and she mentors a strong network of early-career researchers and students. Laboratories and Research Teams: She leads the Suicide, Mental Health and Trauma Research Group at UNE and is central to the Manna Institute’s research and training initiatives. Her team employs co-creation methodologies and community-based participatory research to advance knowledge in mental health and suicide prevention.
Jennifer Pitcher serves as a Senior Research Associate within the Norwich Medical School and the Norwich Clinical Trials Unit at the University of East Anglia. Her role focuses on designing and evaluating public health interventions targeting influenza vaccination rates in care home environments. Her research expertise includes: Public health interventions for vaccine uptake Behavior change strategies in healthcare settings Cluster randomised controlled trial methodology Implementation science for health service improvement Vaccinology and infectious disease prevention Epidemiology of healthcare worker vaccination Analysis of her publication record reveals consistent focus on the FLUCARE project, which employs theory-informed complex interventions to address low influenza vaccination uptake among care home staff. Her work demonstrates methodological diversity across feasibility studies, process evaluations, and full-scale effectiveness trials, with strong emphasis on real-world implementation and behavioral determinants of vaccine acceptance. Dr. Pitcher collaborates extensively with multidisciplinary research teams across institutional boundaries, contributing to the Norwich Clinical Trials Unit's mission of conducting rigorous clinical research with direct policy implications for elderly care settings.
Debbie Wake is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Informatics and Diabetes Care & Education at the University of Edinburgh, affiliated with the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine and the Usher Institute's Centre for Medical Informatics. Her research focuses on digital health solutions for diabetes management, particularly through self-care platforms and patient-facing tools. Email: d.wake@ed.ac.uk Her work explores Medical Informatics , Diabetes Care , and Digital Health , with recent projects analyzing the impact of digitally-enabled platforms on diabetes outcomes. She leads and collaborates on studies like the iDiabetes Platform, emphasizing phenotyping and precision medicine. Recent publications highlight her contributions to gestational diabetes mHealth tools (MyGDM), user-centered design, and national healthcare collaborations in Scotland. Debbie's research spans self-management systems , electronic patient records , and predictive modeling , often involving interdisciplinary teams. Projects include industry partnerships for personalized care and UK government-funded investigations into digital diabetes tools. Her collaborations extend to EU and non-EU institutions, focusing on transnational research networks and health technology integration.
Enrique Castro-Sanchez is a researcher at City, University of London, affiliated with the School of Health & Medical Sciences and the Department of Nursing & Midwifery. He also holds a position at Imperial College London as a lead research nurse in the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit for Healthcare-Associated Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance. His work focuses on Antimicrobial Stewardship Infection Control Health Literacy Public Health Communication . Research interests include health literacy in infectious diseases, patient safety, and the role of social networks in healthcare. His studies often assess clinical guidelines, patient education, and healthcare policy across global contexts, with a notable focus on the impact of pandemics like COVID-19 and the implications of antimicrobial resistance. Articles highlight interventions in surgical site infection prevention, peripheral IV catheter management, and health literacy’s influence on vaccination decisions. He has contributed to interdisciplinary consensus projects and evaluated digital health tools such as virtual reality for infection control training. Collaborations span the UK, Spain, India, and South Africa, emphasizing multimodal interventions and policy frameworks for pandemic preparedness.
Bethan Copsey is a Medical Statistician at the University of Leeds, affiliated with the School of Medicine and Complex Interventions Division at Leeds Clinical Trials Research Unit. Her work focuses on clinical trial design, statistical analysis, and methods for complex interventions, with applications in palliative care and mental health. Prior to this role, she completed a DPhil in Musculoskeletal Sciences at the University of Oxford and worked as a Medical Statistician at the Centre for Rehabilitation Research in Oxford (RRiO), specializing in systematic reviews and clinical trials related to physiotherapy and musculoskeletal conditions. She holds a Masters in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics, and Economics (MMORSE) from the University of Warwick, and her current research emphasizes statistical methodology in clinical trial design, particularly for cluster randomised trials and trial reporting standards.
Professor Karen Ginn is a Professor of Musculoskeletal Anatomy in the School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. She teaches functional, applied anatomy to various health professional groups and maintains a part-time private practice as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist. Professor Ginn is regularly invited to present at national and international conferences and serves as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, where she has designed and teaches a subject entitled "Physiotherapy and Shoulder Rehabilitation" in the MSc program. Professor Ginn's research focuses on the assessment and treatment of shoulder dysfunction, with particular interest in evaluating the validity and reliability of components of the physical examination of the shoulder. Her work spans multiple areas including evidence-based medicine , musculoskeletal diseases , orthopaedics , physiotherapy , and shoulder function . She has developed a continuing education course for health professionals entitled "Functional rehabilitation of shoulder muscles - evidence & application" which she conducts in Australia and internationally. Professor Ginn's extensive publication record, with over 60 publications in prestigious journals such as Journal of Orthopaedic Research and Physical Therapy, demonstrates consistent contributions to understanding shoulder biomechanics, rehabilitation approaches, and clinical assessment methods. Her recent work shows increasing focus on diagnostic imaging for shoulder conditions, cross-cultural adaptation of assessment tools, and the application of electromyography to understand muscle activation patterns in both healthy subjects and patients with shoulder dysfunction. Professor Ginn has held significant leadership roles including Past President of Shoulder & Elbow Physiotherapists Australasia (SEPA) and SEPA representative on the Board of the International Congress of Shoulder & Elbow Therapists. She is also a member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association. 2020: Is online ergonomics training, with & without individual feedback on adherence, effective in reducing musculoskeletal upper limb pain & work performance in sonographers: a cluster randomised trial 2014: The BEST at Home pragmatic fall prevention program: effectiveness, cost effectiveness and implementation (NHMRC Partnership Project) 2005: A comparison of shoulder muscle function in patients with rotator cuff tears and age-matched control subjects 2004: A Randomised, Controlled, Clinical Trial To Evaluate The Efficacy Of Passive Joint Mobilisation Applied To The Shoulder Region Joints For The Treatment Of Shoulder Pain 2002: Rotator cuff muscle activity during shoulder rotation exercises Professor Ginn maintains strong international collaborations, serving as one of three invited international representatives on a project entitled "Shoulder pain in Europe: optimizing management across the lifespan" coordinated by Dr. Karen McCreesh from the University of Limerick, Ireland. She also collaborates with the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital London on a randomized controlled clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of surgery in the treatment of atraumatic shoulder instability.
