Catherine Aicken

My background is in Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Promotion. My research interests include sexual health, e-health at the interface with patients and the public (i.e. for the delivery of healthcare and for health promotion), and the development and evaluation of complex interventions.

I'm experienced in co-ordinating multi-institutional research projects, and have used a wide range of methods and methodological approaches.

Current and recent projects include:

Living Well with Frailty Experiences (LiFE) Study (Co-designing person-centred frailty interventions with community-dwelling older people and health professionals), funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing

Experiences of living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and receiving services in Sussex

Systematic reviews of interactive digital interventions for sexual health promotion and HIV prevention (at UCL)

An investigation of the use of simulated training to enhance clinical leadership skills within the residential care sector (funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing - completed)

Investigating ethnic inequalities in sexually transmitted infections (at the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit for Blood-Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections, at UCL and Public Health England)

I am interested in supervising postgraduate students in qualitative and mixed methods research projects, in all areas of Public Health and Health Promotion. I have particular interest in the following areas:

• sexual health (broadly conceived, i.e. may include sexual wellbeing as well as STIs/HIV or contraception);
• development and/or evaluation of complex interventions, e.g. health promotion interventions, e-health interventions;
• breastfeeding;
• e-health at the interface with patients and the public;
• the (patient) experience of living with long-term conditions, e.g. motor neurone disease, frailty.

I'm happy to work with prospective postgraduate research (PhD) students to develop research proposals.