Briefly, tell us about your background and career up to this point?
I have a mixed background, before I became a nurse, my first degree at university was in information systems, which is a mix of computer science and business or organisational management. I then worked in financial services in Dublin for a few years before retraining as an adult nurse in my late 20’s. As a student nurse I became interested in co-designing and developing technologies for patient self-management. So, after qualifying, I went straight into teaching and doing research. It seemed like the best career path for me, as I have a curious nature, I like solving problems and enjoy working with lots of people with different expertise.
I started my PhD part-time while I was lecturing and developed my programme of research alongside teaching nursing students about digital health.
My PhD developed a conceptual framework about how to implement different types of health technologies for self-management with patients at home, as there are many complex factors that affect this including how well the technology is designed (or not!). Before starting as a Senior Lecture, I worked at the University of Manchester and I’m also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Western University in Canada where I collaborate with a great colleague there on artificial intelligence in nursing.
Could you tell us more about the grants you were recently awarded?
Creating new digital health products and services with patients or other groups is a long, complicated process that can involve many different approaches. However, co-design is sometimes avoided, or not done well because people have limited knowledge and skills about which methods and tools to use.
There are many theories, conceptual models and frameworks published about co-designing digital health interventions, but some people are unaware of these and do not want to waste a lot of time searching for, understanding, and applying them.
For the NIHR-funded project, we will conduct a series of mixed methods systematic reviews of the literature to identify all the methods, tools, and theories that have been used when co-designing digital health interventions. Then, we will co-create an online toolkit for researchers interested in this participatory approach.
The toolkit will be an easily accessible, online resource of different co-design methods, tools, and theories that can be used to create health technologies with patients, family carers, the public, and healthcare professionals. This should help reduce research waste, improve innovation in digital health, enhance the design of digital health tools and improve the outcomes of all the different people who use them.
What do you do with your time outside of work?
I spend time with my family and friends and take my wee fur baby for lots of walks. She won’t jump in for a swim with me yet but I’m working on that so we can have fun exploring the beaches and wild swimming spots around London and the south-east.
What do you think people in the Faculty would find most surprising about you?
I did lots of odd jobs in my teenage years and early twenties including being a limousine driver!
What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?
Be nice to yourself and others. As my mum always says, ‘It’s nice to be nice, and it pays to be nice’, so stay positive and help spread positivity despite whatever life throws at you!
What is your favourite thing about working at King’s?
I have only been here a few months, but the way people communicate is really positive. All the things happening around teaching and research are shared and celebrated with everyone, which makes for a nice working culture.
Quick-fire...
What’s the first career you dreamed of having as a kid?
Being a chef (it’s still the dream!).
What’s your hidden talent?
Is sleeping a talent? If not, it should be, as I can literally fall asleep anywhere. It must be a by-product from being a nurse. Too many night shifts and strange working patterns!
Ideal dinner party guests:
Michael D. Higgins, Dave Chapelle, William Gibson, Diana Nyad, Marie Curie, and of course Florence herself.
Favourite quote:
‘Ní ceart go cur le chéile’. This means ‘there is strength in unity’, or ‘we are better together’.