pathway: Health and Wellbeing/Health, Wellbing & Society

Radiological error is detrimental to both the health and wellbeing of patients. Despite the prevalence of radiological error in practice, the processes underlying such error are poorly understood, and current human and artificial intelligence (AI) training strategies are far from optimised. My proposed research project aims to gain a better understanding of the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms that contribute to radiological error with eye-tracking technology; develop human-intervention and AI training protocols to improve diagnostic accuracy; and develop a database of authentic medical images for use in training of radiologists.

I am interested in understanding how socio-economic insecurity shapes peoples experience of food insecurity, dietary patterns, and ultimately health outcomes such as obesity, in Mexico. Using a biocultural approach which includes considering the interaction between both sociocultural processes and human biology, I will aim to test the ‘welfare hypothesis’ that links weak national welfare structures with obesity. My aim for this study is to generate policy informative evidence around how welfare protection systems shape the effects of insecurity on mental wellbeing, diet, and body weight.

Digital technology has a great potential to support mental health and wellbeing. It has many benefits over face-to-face treatment, including higher cost-effectiveness, wider reach and reduced support-seeking barriers, however, it is often impeded by high levels of dropout and non-usage attrition. My research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of digital mental health and wellbeing support. Specifically, I will aim to understand strengths and weaknesses of mental health and wellbeing support; how and for whom digital mental health and wellbeing support is effective; and understand engagement with mental health and wellbeing support in a target autistic population.

For individuals residing in the state without the legal right to do so, pregnancy and birth can represent a fearful, costly journey. Although they cannot be denied access to care, undocumented migrant women will be charged for their use of maternity care after the fact, leading many women to view antenatal support as inaccessible. My research aims to understand the impact that these implicitly and explicitly hostile practices have on the experiences of pregnancy and birth for undocumented individuals, as well as unpick how these practices shape attitudes towards this journey into motherhood. To do this, I am using a range of ethnographic methods, including observations of drop-in sessions for migrant mothers and interviews with birthing companions who have supported marginalised women throughout the antenatal period. 

The aims of my PhD research are to identify optimal urban environments which could confer similar benefits in immersive virtual reality (IVR) to real life; to explore the potential to use such technology and stimuli for the benefit of elderly populations with limited mobility, and; to pilot the effectiveness of a virtual reality intervention for this population. This will be an interdisciplinary project, involving Public Health and Applied Psychology, and will use a mixed-methods approach.

I am undertaking my MRes at the University of Bath and then studying my PhD at UWE Bristol.

Two topics fascinate me: the environments we live and grow up in, and the way that health is unequally patterned in society. I intend to explore and develop new understanding of how our local environment and its many characteristics protect or harm our mental health. Working closely with Public Health England will allow me to create evidence that directly informs those with the power to utilise it. Importantly I will also geographically map the results, allowing a wider audience to visually engage with the findings.

My research will provide a detailed understanding of the changes to the physical activity of household members after the arrival of a new baby. Physical activity is complex, and its analysis necessitates precise objective measurement using advanced quantitative methods. Also, insight into the contexts in which physical activity behaviours occur will be obtained using rigorous qualitative methods where practice theories will provide a novel theoretical lens. This mixed-methods approach will provide insights that are genuinely innovative and highly interdisciplinary which, through partnerships with Public Health England, Sport England, and Bristol City Council, will help inform policy and practice.

I will be studying the role of “negative” emotions and experiences, such as grief, fear, uncertainty, guilt and blame, as well as “positive” aspects, such as mindfulness, compassion, forgiveness, hope and gratitude, and how these experiences relate to peoples’ ability to cope with the climate situation and future predictions. The role of emotions and practices in positive climate action will also be explored.

As a medical educator, I’m interested in the effect of occupational stress on doctors in training.  My PhD research programme aims to understand variability in response to stress from a psychophysiological perspective, and how such variability influences the performance, progression, mental health, and well-being of medical learners.  Developments from this research offer the potential to identify trainees who would benefit from targeted early support, and develop evidence based interventions to allow doctors to thrive under pressure. This helps safeguard the productivity and wellbeing of the future healthcare workforce and, ultimately, improve patient safety.

Physical activity is important for children’s development; low physical activity can negatively impact physical and mental health. Previous research has found children are not meeting current physical activity levels with large inequalities between children, particularly between girls and boys and those from different socio-economic backgrounds. To date interventions have been unsuccessful in addressing these issues. My research aims to address this by using a mixed-method and interdisciplinary approach, before co-designing an intervention to increase primary school children’s physical activity levels.