Dr Rosemary Hollick

Biography

Rosemary is an Academic Rheumatologist and Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, where she directs the Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health. After completing a BSc in Biomedical Sciences with first-class honours in Pharmacology at the University of Aberdeen, she studied medicine at the University of Glasgow before pursuing specialist training in rheumatology which she completed in 2017 alongside her PhD.

Her work focuses on improving how health and care services are designed, delivered, and experienced by people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. She leads an interdisciplinary programme of applied mixed-methods research that brings together routine health data, qualitative enquiry, epidemiology, and meaningful patient partnership to address real-world challenges in diagnosis, access, and long-term care.

She has secured more than £8.8M in research funding in the past 7 years and has played a central role in shaping national and international thinking on equitable, person-centred models of care, particularly in rare autoimmune conditions, fibromyalgia, and rural health. Her leadership in embedding lived experience within research has been recognised with a national NIHR Innovation and Inclusion Award.

Alongside her academic work, Rosemary is an Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist with NHS Grampian and the national clinical lead for the Scottish Systemic Vasculitis Managed Clinical Network. She works closely with policymakers, NHS partners, and charities to translate evidence into practice, ensuring research leads to meaningful improvements in care for diverse communities.

Across all her roles, Rosemary is committed to building collaborative, inclusive research environments and supporting the next generation of clinicians, researchers, and patient partners.

Prizes and Awards

Top 10 Research Highlights of the year 2024 Arthritis UK for the VOICES study (Identifying Key Health System Components Associated with Improved Outcomes to Inform the Re-Configuration of Services for Adults with Rare Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases: A Mixed Method Study)

NIHR Innovation and Inclusion award 2022 for patient partner involvement in the VOICES study ‘Voicing experience to improve care for people with rare autoimmune conditions.'

Research Overview

My research focuses on how health and care services can be designed and delivered to improve outcomes and experiences for people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions. I lead an interdisciplinary programme of applied health services research that integrates routine healthcare data, epidemiology, qualitative enquiry, and meaningful patient involvement to address real-world questions about diagnosis, access to care, and long-term management.

A core theme of my work is understanding and addressing inequalities, whether related to rare autoimmune conditions, complex chronic pain, or geographical barriers to care. Much of my research aims to identify the key components of effective, person-centred care and to develop sustainable service models that can be implemented at scale across diverse healthcare settings.

Current Research

My current programme of health services research in rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions builds on a strong foundation of mixed-methods research and close collaboration with NHS partners, policymakers, and patient organisations.

• BRUCES (Building Rural-Urban healthCare Equity for Scotland): Co-Chief Investigator of this 5-year Chief Scientist Office programme examining rural health inequalities across cancer, musculoskeletal health, and frailty. The study brings together clinical, health services, geographical and economic expertise to develop evidence-based policy solutions.

• National rare disease service improvement: Following successful completion of the VOICES study which identified key service components associated with improved outcomes for people with vasculitis as an exemplar rare multi-system autoimmune condition (Hollick et al, 2024), I am leading national work to translate findings into practice. This includes development of a UK-wide vasculitis service-improvement toolkit, service benchmarks, and a cost-impact framework to support sustainable change.

• Arthritis UK Research Consortium 'Musculoskeletal Epidemiology 'Safer Lives, Better Journeys': As co-investigator, health inequalities workstream lead, and national academic lead for patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), I contribute to a large UK consortium uniting epidemiology centres of excellence to improve equitable musculoskeletal health across the life course.

• PIOKNEER (PrIOritising early detection of KNEE osteoaRthritis): Co-Chief Investigator of this Arthritis UK programme combining innovative Field Cycling Imaging, discovery science, and health services research to advance early detection and targeted care for knee osteoarthritis.

• MRC/Arthritis UK Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work: As programme lead for Public Health, I continue to support studies examining the impact of chronic pain on work participation and the development of tools and interventions to support people to stay in or return to work.

• PhD supervision I currently supervise Alison McIver (Specialist Rheumatology Nurse, NHS Western Isles), developing a new tool to measure social engagement in rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions, and Nabeeha Attique, whose work is exploring the national and international chronic pain policy landscape. She is employing qualitative research methods and evidence assessment to develop recommendations for improving chronic pain policy development and evaluation.

Past Research

My past work has shaped national and international approaches to service redesign and improved understanding of patient experience across a range of RMDs. For example:

• VOICES (Vasculitis Outcomes In Relation to Care Experiences) (Chief Investigator) - this landmark mixed-methods study evaluated key service components associated with improved outcomes in rare autoimmune rheumatic disease,  Findings have informed national guidelines and new UK quality standards. The project also generated online resources for people living with systemic vasculitis and a short film to support patients and staff to improve vasculitis care delivery.

• RHEUMAPS (Geographical mapping of musculoskeletal conditions) (Chief Investigator) - this Nuffield Foundation study using primary and secondary healthcare data across Scotland and Wales to assess prevalence, access, and outcomes in rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions. The work highlighted significant geographical inequalities and is informing national service planning in Wales.

• PACFiND (Patient-centred care for fibromyalgia) (Co-Chief Investigator) - this UK-wide study funded by Arthritis UK aimed to provide evidence based recommendations to support better care for people living with fibromyalgia. Drawing these insights together, we co-designed guiding principles for care and a practical toolkit for patients, professionals, and policymakers, providing the first evidence-based recommendations for organising coordinated, person-centred fibromyalgia care.

• Rural workforce research (Co-investigator) - Chief Scientist Office Scotland ('Moving to the countryside and staying’? Exploring doctors’ migration choices to rural areas') and NIHR-funded studies ('Come and work here!) explored how recruitment and retention of healthcare staff in rural and remote areas can be enhanced, including through community-led initiatives.

• Musculoskeletal health and work (Co-investigator) - the QUICK study (MRC funded) developed a new measure of the impact of chronic pain on work. The Making it Work™ study (CSO Scotland funded) adapted a Canadian intervention to support people with inflammatory arthritis to remain in work, to a broader range of musculoskeletal conditions and a UK context.

• COVID-19 research examining how COVID-19 and public health restrictions affected people with long-term musculoskeletal conditions and healthcare access:

• The effect of COVID-19 public health restrictions on the health of people with musculoskeletal conditions and symptoms: the CONTAIN study;
• Healthcare use in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: A cohort study in three nations of the UK;
• Enabling work participation for people with musculoskeletal conditions. Lessons from work changes imposed by COVID-19: a mixed method study;
• Lessons from experiences of accessing healthcare during the pandemic for remobilising rheumatology services: a national mixed methods study

Across all these studies, my approach combines health data science, qualitative research and co-design, with patient involvement embedded from study conception through to impact. My work continues to focus on generating practical, evidence-based solutions that improve care for people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions.

Knowledge Exchange

Patient and public engagement is embedded across all our studies. Further details can be found on our specific study webpages. Information on our Epidemiology PPIE group can be found below;

Patient and public involvement (PPI) | The Institute of Applied Health Sciences | The University of Aberdeen (abdn.ac.uk)

Collaborations

Arthritis UK 'Better lives, safer journeys' Epidemiology Consortium

Scottish Centre for Health and Work

MRC/Arthritis UK Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work

Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health | The University of Aberdeen (abdn.ac.uk)

Funding and Grants

Teaching Responsibilities

Rosemary teaches both undergraduate and post graduate medical students at the University of Aberdeen, and leads the Quality Improvement Horizontal Theme across MBChB 4 and 5.

She contributes to the PU5030 Epidemiology Course, part of the Masters of Public Health and Global Health and Management.