Research Fellow
- About
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- School/Department
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
Biography
My name is Cara and I am a Research Fellow in the Epidemiology Group at the University of Aberdeen. I am currently working on the Making it Work™ - Scotland project, which looks at how we can support people with musculoskeletal disorders in Scotland to remain in work. The project involves working closely with public contributors throughout, something that I am particularly passionate about.
I am a mixed-methods researcher with interdisciplinary research interests in psychology and public health. I completed my PhD in Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast, in 2023, where I explored health-related quality of life in advanced oesophago-gastric cancer patients and their carers. I am particularly interested in the process of adjustment to chronic illness, and ways we can support patients and carers to live well.
I try to adopt a combined public health psychology approach to my research, as I’m a keen advocate for research that is translatable into policy.
Qualifications
- PhD Psychology2023 - Queen's University Belfast
External Memberships
Chartered member of the British Psychological Society (BPS), Division of Health Psychology (Full), Division of Academics, Researchers & Teachers in Psychology (Full), Faculty for Oncology and Palliative Care (Associate)
Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
Committee Member for OGCancerNI
Committee member for Northern Ireland British Psychological Society
PPI Advisory Group Member - Better End of Life Project - Death and Dying in the UK today (mariecurie.org.uk)
Prizes and Awards
• Irish Association Palliative Care Conference 2022 - Awarded ‘Highly Commended’ prize - Poster presentation titled ‘The factors associated with psycho-social functioning in individuals with advanced oesophago-gastric cancer.’
• Northern Ireland BPS Conference 2022 –Runner-up prize - Oral presentation titled ‘Living and dying with advanced oesophago-gastric cancer: An IPA Study.’
- Research
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Research Areas
Applied Health Sciences
- Publications
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Page 1 of 1 Results 1 to 3 of 3
Music therapy for supporting informal carers of adults with life-threatening illness pre- and post-bereavement; a mixed-methods systematic review
BMC Palliative Care, vol. 23, no. 1, 55Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-024-01364-z
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Psychosocial functioning in individuals with advanced oesophago-gastric cancer: a mixed methods systematic review
BMC Palliative Care, vol. 22, no. 1, 164Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-023-01288-0
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for caregivers of children with chronic conditions: A mixed methods systematic review (MMSR) of efficacy, process, and acceptance.
Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, vol. 27, pp. 72-97Contributions to Journals: Review articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2022.12.003
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus