Cancer Care Expert Group
Our mission is to improve cancer care for all. We work with experts from a diverse range of disciplines, including technology, science, engineering and psychology. We work alongside NHS professionals, Government, patients and their families, from the very young, to the very old. When we work together, we create innovative ways of being diagnosed quicker and living well, with and beyond cancer. Our work helps optimise cancer outcomes and impacts positively on experiences of care.
Research interests
Evidence shows that people with cancer have unmet needs, particularly at the point of diagnosis, end of treatment and longer term. Whilst some people feel well, others are struggling with the consequences of cancer treatment, creating a burden of illness that impacts on quality of life, patient outcomes and family life. Early diagnosis is considered a cornerstone of improving cancer survival- and is importantly related to improved patient experience and quality of life.
Our work focuses on changing the way we diagnose and support people with cancer – and families managing cancer – in order to meet increasing demands and care needs. We work across the age span and disease course - from diagnosis to survivorship and palliative care.
Research areas
- Early diagnosis
- Inequalities in cancer outcomes (individually and intersectionally)
- Cancer as a chronic condition
- Influence of cancer treatment on people, informal carers, parents, siblings and other family members. Specific interests include:
- Symptom assessment and management
- Psychological support needs
- Decision-making
- Multi-morbidity
- Survivorship
- End-of-life care.
- Patient reported outcome and experience measures
- Optimising teamwork and patient care
- Digital health/connected health, supportive technologies and web-based programmes to support mental and physical health for people with cancer
- Improving access and equity in cancer care
- Cancer care system policy.
Research methodologies
- Participant co-design
- Mixed methods
- Development and evaluation of complex interventions
- Film technologies
- Creative arts based approaches.
- Research Priority Setting Partnerships
- Questionnaire design and validation approaches
- Data linkage, statistical and machine learning
- Intersectionality and transformative methods.
Areas of interest for doctoral study
We welcome approaches from people wishing to undertake postgraduate research with us. We particularly welcome enquiries in the following areas:
- Prevention and early diagnosis
- Supportive care and innovations
- Cancer in children, teenagers and young adults
- Digital health.
Please contact Freda Mold (freda.mold@surrey.ac.uk) and Jenny Harris (jen.harris@surrey.ac.uk), our postgraduate research directors, if you are considering postgraduate research.
Research Group members
Expert Group leads
Professor Katriina Whitaker
Professor of Psychology and Co-Lead for Cancer Care
Dr Robert Kerrison
Associate Professor and Co-Lead for Cancer Care
Expert Group members
Susie Aldiss
Research Fellow (Child Health)
Dr Anne Arber
ۿ۴ýing Reader in Cancer and Palliative Care
Professor Jo Armes
Professor of Cancer Care and Lead for Digital Health
Dr David Bartlett
Senior Lecturer of Exercise Immunology
Laura Boswell
Postgraduate Researcher
David Brighton
Lecturer, (adult nursing)
Dr Gemma Bryan
Senior Research Fellow
Hugh Claridge
Postgraduate Research Student
Zoe Clothier
Research Assistant
Dr Jane Cockle Hearne
Research Fellow
Dr Anna Cox
Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care
Dr Christos Dadousis
Research Fellow in Health and Biomedical Informatics Research Group
Hannah Drysdale
Research Fellow in Health Inequalities
Mar Estupiñan Fernandez De Mesa
Fellow in Cancer Care
Professor Sara Faithfull
ۿ۴ýing Professor of Cancer Nursing Practice, Lead for Clinical Innovation
Professor Faith Gibson
Professor of Child Health and Cancer Care
Natalie Gil
Postgraduate Researcher
Dr Jenny Harris
Senior Lecturer in Cancer Care and Health Statistics
Esra Hassan
Research Fellow
Dr Chris Jacobs
Associate Professor, Genetic and Genomic Counselling
Dr Robert Kerrison
Associate Professor and Co-Lead for Cancer Care
Dr Agnieszka Lemanska
Senior Lecturer in Health Data Science
Dr Afrodita Marcu
Research Fellow (RA II)
Jackie McBride
Associate Head of School – Education
Sophie McGrevey
Research Assistant
Lizzie Merrill
Research Fellow in Cancer Care
Tetyana Perchyk
Research Fellow in Health Data Science
Claire Price
Postgraduate Research Student
Alexandra Pritchard
Postgraduate Research Student
Professor Emma Ream
Professor, Director of Health Sciences Research
Dr Katie Sutton
Research Fellow
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