³ÉÈËBÕ¾

LWLTC Members

LWLTC Core Group

LWLTC Group Lead – Prof Dez Kyte PhD – Professor of Physiotherapy and course lead for the MSc (pre-reg) Physiotherapy programme, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾.

Professor Eleanor Bradley PhD - College Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange (Health & Science) and a Professor of Health Psychology, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾.

 - Principal Lecturer, PhD Three Counties Medical School and the School of Psychology, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾.

 - MBChB Assessment Lead, School Teaching and Learning coordinator, School EDI Lead and Professor of Student Success and Medical Assessment at Three Counties Medical School, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾.

LWLTC Group Members

James Bateman - Senior Lecturer in Sports Therapy, School of Sport and Exercise Science, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾

Dr Pauline Kuithan PhD - Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, Department of Allied Health, School of Health and Wellbeing, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾

Dr Erica Thomas MBChB - Public health lead MBChB Program, Three Counties Medical School, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾

Dr Emma Innes - Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾

Dale Turner - Lecturer/Practitioner in Physiotherapy, School of Health and Wellbeing, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾

Joseph Hamilton - Clinical Skills and Simulation Lecturer, School of Health and Wellbeing, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾

Lara Baker-Power - Lecturer in Psychology, School of Health and Wellbeing, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾

PhD Students
Utpreksha Gaude - PhD Student, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾
Ewa Gammond - PhD Student, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾
Ben Lane - PhD Student, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾

Current LWLTC Projects 

 Current Research Projects

• Empowering female leaders in higher education through international peer-to-peer mentoring. British Council – Gender Equality Partnerships Grant (GEP2024-086), £25,000
• THRIVE – Tackling Health inequalities and unmet Rural mental health needs In VulnErable communities across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. NIHR, £2.27 million
• Arthritis and Farmers in England: Impacts, Adaptations and Prevention. Nuffield Foundation (Oliver Bird Fund), £267,815

Recently Completed Research Projects

• . NIHR RfPB Competition 43 Stage 2 - West Midlands, £249,540. 

Current PhD Students

• Andy Bolt: Enhancing Mental Health Care in Rural Settings through Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (ePROMs): The EMPOWER Study. Supervisors: Kyte, D, Hughes, L, Miley, M.
• Laura Burley: Identifying Effective Ways to Deliver Rural Early Intervention Psychosis: The REiP study. Supervisors: Hughes, L, Kyte, D, Miley, M.
• Ewa Gammond: Clinical Significance and Diagnostic Accuracy of Special Tests in Rotator Cuff‑Related Shoulder Pain. Supervisors: Kostas Papadolpoulos, Kyte, D, Pauline Kuithan
• Frankie Sharma: Investigating accessibility challenges and inclusivity in multi-component positive psychology interventions (MPPIs) for enhancing university student wellbeing. Supervisor: Stack, R
• Utpreksha Gaude: Internalised weight stigma in women with PCOS. Supervisor: Stack, R
• Paul McDonald: Healthcare beliefs about obesity. Supervisor: Stack, R
• Kate Straugton: An exploration of inclusion and social capital in healthcare placements. Supervisor: Stack, R
• Ben Lane: The impact of extended delay and waiting times on coping and wellbeing in patients with a suspected diagnosis of bowel cancer. Supervisors: Stack, R, Kyte, D
• David Palfreyman: Section 136 – Mental Health Act (1983): An effective response to mental health crisis or an overused and ineffective power to support those experiencing emotional distress? Supervisor: Bradley, E
• Andrea Johnsono: Would a mandatory training module on pathology specimen collection and requirements reduce incident reporting from pathology against service users? Supervisor: Bradley, E
• Thomas Morton: The sustainability of community-based group support initiatives for people affected by dementia. Supervisor: Bradley, E
• Justine Bold: Lived experience: a transdisciplinary approach to transforming nutrition and medical education, practice and research in infertility. Supervisor: Bradley, E
• Rosemary Davies: What can counsellors learn from the experiences of people who have recently been diagnosed with early-stage dementia? Supervisor: Bradley, E
• Krista Easton: Co-occurence of autism among individuals living with bipolar disorder. Supervisor: Bere Mahoney
• Alice Clements: The postpartum phase for men living with bipolar disorder: clinical features and psychosocial factors.Supervisor: Bere Mahoney
• Beck Lowe: Self-diagnosis of autism: the role of social media. DoS: Bere Mahoney
• Emma Innes: Recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis: A phenomenological case study exploring the experiences of young women with Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Supervisor: Stack, R - PhD Completed 2024/25
• Frances Chilton.  PhD Topic: Shared Decision Making: an exploration into the experiences of patients with early inflammatory / rheumatoid arthritis from symptom onset to first treatment year. Supervisor: E Bradley - PhD Completed 2024/25
• Samita Kirve-PhD topic: Dementia education provision in pre-reg OT programmes in UK HEIs. Supervisor: Kostas Papadolpoulos.
• MDX London. Katherine Paice-PhD topic: The role of nutrition in improving performance and reducing injury in female netball players. Supervisor: Kostas Papadolpoulos.
• University of West Attica. George Kypraios-PhD topic: The use of clinical Pilates in Shoulder Tendinopathy. Supervisor: Kostas Papadolpoulos.
• MDX London. Luca Maestroni – PhD topic: Strength and Power Assessment in Rehabilitation: Profiling the Athlete’s Return to Sport Journey Following ACL reconstruction – Supervisor: Kostas Papadolpoulos - PhD completed 2023/24.
• Nicola Anderson. Using patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) to promote quality of care and safety in the management of patients with established kidney disease requiring treatment with haemodialysis. University of Birmingham, UK – Supervisor: D Kyte - PhD completed 2023/24.
• Birgith Engelst Grove. Remote symptom monitoring using patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures in patients with chronic kidney disease: The PROKID study. Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark –External Supervisor: D Kyte - PhD completed 2023/24.

LWLTC Outputs

Publications

• Clarke RM, O’Hickey SP, Walklet E, Bradley E, Mahoney B. (2025). Managing allergy-related COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: A multi-methods analysis of practitioner notes and referral outcomes. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2025.2561457
• Rose C, Donnelly L, Howdle J, Bradley E, Lynes M, Arnett K, Nettle M. (2025). How do participatory citizenship models inform co-production in health research? A systematic review. Health Expectations.
• Crossnohere NL, Schuster ALR, Bruckel J, Chen RC, Cizik AM, Cruz Rivera S, Muth C, Nelsen L, Kyte D, et al. (2025). Patient-reported outcome measures add value as clinical trial endpoints. Nature Medicine, 31(4), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03906-1
• Kyte D, Fletcher BR, Horton M, Damery S, Aiyegbusi OL, Anderson N, Bissell A, Calvert M, Cockwell P, Ferguson J, Paap MCS, Sidey-Gibbons C, Turner N, Verdi R, Slade A. (2025). Development, Rasch analysis and validation of the kidney symptom burden questionnaire (KSB-Q). Clinical Kidney Journal, 18(5), sfaf112. https://doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfaf112
• van der Veer SN, Anderson NE, Finnigan R, Kyte D. (2024). Electronic Collection of Patient-Reported Outcomes to Improve Kidney Care: Benefits, Drawbacks, and Next Steps. Seminars in Nephrology, 44(1), 45–58.
• Khan N, Steeds RP, Kyte D, et al. (2024). Remote patient monitoring in aortic stenosis (APRAISE-AS): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open, 14:e086587. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-086587
• Wood K, Frank H, Papadopoulos K. (2025). Learning experiences gained from attending an interprofessional, university-based, student-led healthcare clinic. Journal of Interprofessional Care. Accepted April 2025.
• Cooper C, Papadopoulos K. (2025). Evaluating Pacing Therapy vs Graded Exercise Therapy in ME/CFS: A Systematic Review. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 44:319–327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.05.048
• Premkumar P, Newman K, Stack R, Rennoldson M, Zysk E, Sundin E. (2025). Chapter Title: [Not specified]. In: Essential Psychology, p.575.
• Lopez-Fernandez O, Stack R, Mitra S, Nicholls LAB. (2025). Adulthood to Ageing. In: Essential Psychology, p.419.
• Kristina Newman, Rebecca Stack, Mike Rennoldson, Eva Zysk, Eva Sundin and Preethi Premkumar (2024) Health Psychology. In. Banyard Et al.  Essential psychology. Fourth Edition. SAGE Publications Limited. 
• Olatz Lopez-Fernandez, Rebecca Stack, Suvo Mitra and Louise A. Brown Nicholls (2004). Adulthood to Ageing. In. Banyard Et al.  Essential psychology. Fourth Edition. SAGE Publications Limited.

• Qualitative analysis of the impact of providing support and care for severe mental illness on informal carers (In press) Sud D, Bradley E, Tritter J, Maidment I BMC Psychiatry

• Christel McMullan; Ameeta Retzer; Sarah E. Hughes; Olalekan Lee Aiyegbusi; Camilla Bathurst; Alan Boyd; Jamie Coleman; Elin Haf Davies; Alastair K Denniston; Helen Dunster; Chris Frost; Rosie Harding; Amanda Hunn; Derek Kyte et al. . Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes (2023).

• Van der Veer SN, Kyte D, Chadwick H et al. . University of Manchester (2023). 

• Anderson NE, Kyte D, McMullan C, et al. . BMJ Open (2023).
• Maestroni L, Turner A, Papadopoulos K, Sideris V, Read P. "" AMJSPORTS (2023).
• Maestroni L, Turner A, Papadopoulos K, Sideris V, Read P. "" Science and Medicine in Football (2023).
• Maestroni K, Turner A, Papadopoulos K, Cohen D, Sideris V, Graham-Smith P, Read P. (2023) "" Sports Health (2023).

• Gulshan T, Dobel-Ober D, Bradley E, Charnley C, Lambley-Burke R, Mallen C, Honeyford K, Kingstone T  (2024) Evaluating the impact of the Supporting The Advancement of Research Skills (STARS) programme on research knowledge, engagement and culture in a health and social care organisation in England BMC Medical Education 24: 126  

• Johnson J, Hope L, Jones L and Bradley E (2023) A mixed methods study to understand perinatal mental healthcare referral decisions among midwives and health visitors in the UK. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 

• Doughty, A., Keane, G., Wadley, A. J., Mahoney, B., Bueno, A. A., & Coles, S. J. (2024). Plasma concentrations of thioredoxin, thioredoxin reductase and peroxiredoxin-4 can identify high risk patients and predict outcome in patients with acute coronary syndrome: A clinical observation. International Journal of Cardiology, 131888
• Gordon-Smith, K., Hampshire, C., Mahoney, B., Perry, A., Lewis, K. J., Craddock, N., ... & Jones, L. (2024). Opportunities to engage in positive activities during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives of individuals with mood disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 345, 186-191
• Hampshire, C., Mahoney, B., & Davis, S. K. (2022). Parenting styles and disordered eating among youths: A rapid scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 802567
• Lea, R., Davis, S. K., Mahoney, B., & Qualter, P. (2023). Do emotionally intelligent adolescents flourish or flounder under pressure? Linking emotional intelligence to stress regulation mechanisms. Personality and Individual Differences, 201, 111943
• Mahoney, B. (2024). Geography and breast reconstruction: the complex business of using travel time to understand how patients access care after surgery. Ann Breast Surg 2024; 8:13

LWLTC PhD Projects

We welcome proposals from prospective students with interests in any areas aligned to our Research Group. Approaches from self-supporting PhD students are accepted all year round. Please contact Dr Derek Kyte to express an interest along with an outline of your research ideas.

Available Self-funded PhD Projects

A Longitudinal Investigation of Symptom Burden in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) [The CKD-INSIGHT study].

Exploring the Lived Experience of People with Coexisting Type 1 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

Exploring the Use of Social Media Platforms for Supporting Individuals with Long-Term Conditions: Impacts on Self-Management and Healthcare Engagement.

Living with Allergy During the Transition to Secondary School.

Routine Monitoring of Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

The Impact of Extended Waiting Times for Treatment and Investigation in People with Long-Term Conditions.

Vaccine hesitancy among adults living with allergy.

If you are interested in these projects, please contact the lead supervisor to have a chat about your interests and the project idea. Please see the Doctoral School pages for details on how to apply.

LWLTC Collaborators & Associate Members 

Dr Shirley Evans 
Director of The Association for Dementia Studies, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾. 

Dr Chris Bowers 
Head of Dept. Computing, Principal Lecturer, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾. 

 
Specialist renal dietician, Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS trust.

 
Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science - Swansea University.

Paul MacDonald 
Lead Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner, Integrated Community Services, Worcestershire Health and Care Trust.

Dr Kostas Papadopoulos

Getting help from the LWLTC Team for your project

The Living Well with Long-Term Conditions (LWLTC) research group at the ³ÉÈËBÕ¾ provides support for researchers - both inside and external to the university - focusing on long-term health conditions. 

Researchers working on long-term conditions can benefit from the LWLTC group's multidisciplinary approach and their experience in applied health research. They offer collaboration opportunities, access to cutting-edge research, and the chance to engage with national and international health projects, ensuring that researchers have the support they need to develop robust, impactful studies.

 How the LWLTC could help the development of your research project:

• Provide advice on the project idea/plan.
• Peer review a grant application or publication.
• Peer review a conference presentation or poster.
• A LWLTC member may also join your project as a co-investigator.

 Please complete the form below to request support from the team:

Joining the LWLTC Research Group

Joining the Living Well with Long-Term Conditions (LWLTC) research group offers significant benefits for researchers focused on chronic illnesses. As a member, you would have access to a collaborative team/environment with expertise in designing and implementing high-quality, impactful research aimed at improving the lives of people living with long-term conditions. The group offers multidisciplinary collaboration opportunities across the ³ÉÈËBÕ¾ and NHS settings, enhancing the real-world applicability of research outcomes.

 Members contribute to the group in different ways, depending upon their field of expertise and their time commitments. Below is a summary of the kind of activities that LWLTC members might get involved in:

• Attending and contributing to LWLTC seminars – approx. 2-3 each academic year (usually meetings are online).
• Supporting the 3 key priorities of the LWLTC research group:
  • Facilitating the development and implementation of high-quality impactful research & knowledge exchange, targeted at helping people with long-term conditions and their families to live well.
  • Enhancing research collaboration around long-term conditions and facilitating the co-production of research with the involvement of key stakeholders.
  • Supporting research active/aspiring colleagues within and external to the university.
• Collaborating on grant applications and inputting to active research projects.
• Collaborating on publications and conference abstracts.
• Inputting to the LWLTC research group annual report.

If you are interested in joining the group, please email us using the contact details below:

Prof Dez Kyte (LWLTC Chair) – d.kyte@worc.ac.uk