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Biography
Kieran is a Senior Research Fellow and Psychologist. Kieran is currently the Senior Research Fellow on an NIHR Programme Grant (PGfAR) focused on reducing the impact of diabetic foot ulcers on patient and the health service and is the Co-Principal Investigator of an embedded NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Grant exploring biological mechanisms of action of the REDUCE intervention. Kieran also leads a number of projects relating to Psychological influences on health and health behaviour.
Prior to this Kieran was awarded and completed a prestigious NIHR School for Primary Care Research Post-Doctoral Launching Fellowship which focused on developing and evaluating brief psychological interventions to enhance vaccination outcomes in older adults.
Kieran completed a BSc. (Hons) in Psychology on The Open University in 2010 before completing an MSc. in Psychological Research at The University of Sheffield in 2012. Between 2012 and 2013, Kieran worked as a Research Assistant on a collaborative project between CLAHRC South Yorkshire and The University of Sheffield focused on the development and evaluation of a complex intervention for young adults with type 1 diabetes. Kieran then moved to The University of Nottingham completing an NIHR School of Primary Care Research funded PhD studentship in 2017, focusing on psychological and behavioural influences on immunity and vaccination outcomes, with a view towards the development of brief primary care interventions.
Expertise Summary
Research Interests
(1) Interactions between psychological, behavioural, and biological factors as they pertain to health.
(2) Behaviour Change - Developing and evaluating pragmatically-driven psychological and behavioural interventions;
(3) The role that tailoring/personalisation can play in psychological and behavioural interventions (i.e., precision behavioural medicine).
Teaching Summary
Kieran has supervised academic clinical fellows, MSc. Health Psychology project students and PhD students. Kieran also is a personal tutor for undergraduate medical students in the Medical School. He… read more
Research Summary
My research expertise is in health psychology, behaviour change, and psychological health. I develop and evaluate pragmatic behavioural and psychological interventions, using a range of approaches… read more
Recent Publications
AYLING, K., JIA, R., COUPLAND, C., CHALDER, T., MASSEY, A., BROADBENT, E. and VEDHARA, K., 2022. Psychological Predictors of Self-reported COVID-19 Outcomes: Results From a Prospective Cohort Study Annals of Behavioral Medicine. kaab106 BLAKE, H., KNIGHT, H., JIA, R., CORNER, J., MORLING, J. R., DENNING, C., BALL, J. K., BOLTON, K., FIGUEREDO, G., MORRIS, D. E., TIGHE, P., VILLALON, A. M., AYLING, K. and VEDHARA, K., 2021. Students’ views towards sars-cov-2 mass asymptomatic testing, social distancing and self-isolation in a university setting during the covid-19 pandemic: A qualitative study International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 18(8), 4182 GASTEIGER, N., VEDHARA, K., MASSEY, A., JIA, R., AYLING, K., CHALDER, T., COUPLAND, C. and BROADBENT, E., 2021. Depression, anxiety and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a New Zealand cohort study on mental well-being BMJ Open. 11(5), e045325 CARLISLE, S., AYLING, K., JIA, R., BUCHANAN, H. and VEDHARA, K., 2021. The effect of choice interventions on retention-related, behavioural and mood outcomes: A systematic review with meta-analysis Health Psychology Review. Published Ahead of Print Online: 16 September 2021,
Kieran has supervised academic clinical fellows, MSc. Health Psychology project students and PhD students. Kieran also is a personal tutor for undergraduate medical students in the Medical School. He is currently the patient and public involvement lead for the Biobehavioural Research Group. Kieran also runs training courses on systematic reviews/meta-analysis.
Between 2015 and 2020 Kieran lectured on MSc. Health Psychology Course. Specifically on topics relating to Chronic Illnesses; Psychological and Behavioural Interventions; Stress and Illness; and Psychoneuroimmunology.
Current Research
My research expertise is in health psychology, behaviour change, and psychological health. I develop and evaluate pragmatic behavioural and psychological interventions, using a range of approaches including randomised controlled trials, qualitative research and longitudinal observational cohort studies. I have significant experience of leading novel multidisciplinary research within primary and secondary NHS settings, including large multi-centre RCTs and longitudinal cohort studies. I also have considerable experience in leading systematic reviews/meta-analyses
I am currently leading on a NIHR-funded programme grant focusing on a complex psychological and behavioural intervention for reducing the recurrence of chronic diabetic foot ulcers as well as a number of other collaborative projects including barriers and effectiveness of face-mask wearing in schools and psychological predictors of COVID-19 vaccine responses. My research to date has spanned a range of clinical contexts exploring the role psychological factors play in: immune responses to vaccines, lung cancer screening, wound healing, infectious disease susceptibility and outcomes, diabetes, and obesity.
Past Research
My previous research has included work related to the development and evaluation of a complex intervention for young adults with type 1 diabetes, analysing the role of standard care variation in RCT outcomes and investigating daily living restrictions in morbidly obese adults.
Future Research
Increasingly, I am drawing upon the input of the public and patients to inform my research agenda - to ensure the research I lead speaks to issues of importance for those it might affect. I value embracing open science practices, diversity and inclusivity.
I am always open to new collaborations, in particular I am interested in topics around tailoring behavioural or psychological interventions to best meet individual needs (i.,e precision behavioural medicine); understanding the biological impacts of psychological experiences, and the impacts of psychological health across an person's lifespan.