DR ALASDAIR MORT
Research fellow - dot.rural rural Digital Economy Hub
BSc MSc Phd
Personal Details
| E-mail: | a.mort@abdn.ac.uk |
| Personal website: | http://aberdeen.academia.edu/AlasdairMort |
| Address: | Centre for Rural Health Centre for Health Science Old Perth Road Inverness IV2 3JH Tel 01463 255 886 |
Web Links
dot.rural Digital Economy Hub http://www.dotrural.ac.uk/
Centre for Rural Health, Inverness http://www.abdn.ac.uk/crh
RCUK Digital Economy programme www.rcukdigitaleconomy.org.uk
'Mountaineers to benefit from technology cash' - STV news
Broadcast April 29th 2009 http://video.stv.tv/bc/news-090429-n2-digital/
'Stick-on medical monitors could save climbers' lives' - The Scotsman
Published 10th June 2008 http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Stickon-medical-monitors--could.4167360.jp
Biography
Alasdair is a healthcare research fellow at the University of Aberdeen's dot.rural Digital Economy Hub. Before that, Alasdair studied for his PhD at the Centre for Rural Health in Inverness (2007-2010), examining the potential of novel electronic health monitors in remote and rural search and rescue (funded by the University of Aberdeen's Sixth Century Initiative and by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Inverness and East Highland). Prior to his PhD, Alasdair worked for six years in industry at QinetiQ (2001-2006, www.qinetiq.com, formerly the UK Defence Evaluation Research Agency), evaluating human protection and performance technologies.
Alasdair's key qualifications:
PhD thesis - 'Novel electronic physiologic monitor potential in remote and rural search and rescue' (University of Aberdeen, 2010)
MSc Human and Applied Physiology (King's College London, 2001; Distinction)
BSc Physiology and Sports Science (University of Glasgow, 1999; 2i)
Research Interests
Alasdair's research interests lie at the boundary of healthcare technology, patients and services. A human physiologist by training, Alasdair is interested in the data generated by electronic patient monitors, and how to interpret and manage these data for the benefit of patients and service providers. This incorporates a design element, including selecting the most appropriate user-interface. Alasdair has experience of quantitative and qualitative research techniques.
Current Research
1. MIME - Managing Information in Medical Emergencies (3 year project, commenced May 2010)
This dot.rural project examines how digital technology can support pre-hospital response to remote and rural medical emergencies. MIME involves novel hardware and software to enhance pre-hospital patient monitoring and improve the flow of patient data. The novel hardware under investigation includes lightweight, adhesive, wireless sensors that can be easily applied. The novel software being developed includes methods for interpreting streams of health data, and manually inputted contextual data (e.g. speed of collision, direction of impact), in order to generate textual handover summaries (Natural Language Generation). The challenges being addressed include characterising and filtering sensor 'noise' associated with patient movement, and presenting data to a range of individuals with varying levels of medical and first-aid training.
2. TOPS - Technology to support Older adult Personal and Social interaction (3 year project, commenced November 2010)
This dot.rural project addresses the role of user-interface technology for older adults in remote and rural areas experiencing chronic pain. This addresses concerns that the increased use of telehealthcare technology within the home may result in less face-to-face interaction between patients and their health and social care providers. Older adults report that these interactions are central to their healthcare experience. It is anticipated that technology output from the project will include low-bandwidth personal and social interaction, possibly interfacing with familiar technology within the home (e.g. digital TV).
The research described here is supported by the award made by the RCUK Digital Economy programme to the dot.rural Digital Economy Hub; award reference: EP/G066051/1
Collaborations
TOPS project
University of Aberdeen Centre of Academic Primary Care, Health Economics Research Unit, and School of Geosciences, Geography and Environment
SiDE Digital Economy Hub (Universities of Newcastle and Dundee)
University of the Highlands and Islands
Institute of Rural Health (Powys, Wales)
Virtual Hospice project
University of Aberdeen, Glasgow School of Art, University of the Highlands and Islands, University of Stirling
Research Grants
Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher to contribute to the 'Virtual Hospice' project - £3,197 (June 2012)
EPSRC-funded Framework for Responsible Research and Innovation in ICT (FRRIICT) - £4,850 (February 2012)
MIME project - £32,292 (March 2010)
Travel grant (University of Aberdeen Principal's Small Grant Fund) - £800 (September 2008 - funded attendance at the Wilderness Medical Society's summer meeting in Snowmass, Colorado)
Travel grant (The Wingate Foundation) - £950 (April 2007 - funded a visit to the Centre for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology, Boston, MA)
Teaching Responsibilities
Alasdair delivers a lecture on altitude and diving physiology to undergraduates at the University of Aberdeen (course BI25B2 - Physiology of Human Organ Systems). Alasdair also has some supervision responsibilities. He has recently supervised a BSc Med Sci intercalating medical student, and for the previous three years (2010/11/12) has supervised STEM school pupil placements at the Centre for Rural Health as part of the Nuffield Foundation Science Bursary Scheme. He also supervised a medical elective student project in 2011, with another planned for 2012.
External Responsibilities
Alasdair is a keen runner. His most recent event was the 2012 7 hills of Edinburgh challenge event. His next event is the Loch Ness Marathon in September 2012.
Central Publications
- Roberts, EA., Mort, AJ. & Philip, LJ. The Extent & Nature of Personal & Social Interaction between Health & Social Care and Older Adults with Chronic Pain in their Homes: Maximising Interaction through Technology., Working paper, 2013
- Roberts, EA. & Mort, AJ. Addressing the Ethical Issues Associated with Healthcare Research in Older Adults, Conference contribution, 2012, Addressing the Ethical Issues Associated with Healthcare Research in Older Adults
- Rushworth, G., Cunningham, S., Mort, AJ., Rudd, I. & Leslie, S. Patient-specific factors relating to medication adherence in a post-percutaneous coronary intervention cohort, Article, 2012, International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 20, 4, pp226 - 237, ISSN/ISBN: 0961-7671
- Chapman, A., Mort, AJ., Bloe, C. & Leslie, S. Thrombolysis for acute ST elevation MI, Letter, 2012, Rural and Remote Health, 12, 3, ISSN/ISBN: 1445-6354
- Mort, AJ. & Godden, DJ. Injuries to Individuals Participating in Mountain and Wilderness Sports, Article, 2011, Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 21, 6, pp530 - 536, ISSN/ISBN: 1050-642X
- Tait, EJ., Mort, AJ., Godden, DJ. & Hunter, CJ. Monitoring and Evaluating the Impact of Telehealth Projects, Paper, 2011
- Mort, AJ., McNamee, P., Philip, LJ., Schofield, PA., Hanson, V. & Rodger, G. TOPS - designing digital tools for personal and social interaction, Abstract, 2011
- Nguyen, H., Mellish, CS., Mort, AJ., Kindness, PA., Knight, J. & Reiter, EB. Using NLG to Manage Information in Medical Emergencies, Abstract, 2011
- Nguyen, H., Mellish, CS., Mort, AJ., Kindness, PA., Knight, J. & Reiter, EB. Using NLG to Manage Information in Medical Emergencies, Abstract, 2011
- Mort, AJ. & Godden, DJ. UK Mountain Rescue Casualties, Article, 2010, Emergency Medicine Journal, 27, pp309 - 312
- Mort, AJ. UK Mountain Rescues, Abstract, 2009 - 179
- Mort, AJ. Casualty Monitoring During Remote Rescue, Poster, 2007
- Mort, AJ. The Effects of a Combination of Hypoxia and Positive Pressure Breathing on an Indicator of Aircrew Operational Effectiveness, Article, 2005, Survival and Flight Safety Equipment Journal, 33, 1, ISSN/ISBN: 0191-6319