Contact
Biography
After gaining a PhD from the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham with her thesis, titled Living with a new normal: Women's experiences following treatment for early stage breast cancer or DCIS, Diane successfully applied for a Mildred Blaxter Fellowship from the Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness. This enabled her to do further research exploring women's experiences of DCIS (a very early form of breast cancer) as well as disseminating her PhD research. Publications include articles focussing on hair loss resulting from breast cancer treatment which have generated media interest including being interviewed on Radio 4's Thinking Allowed http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p058k2q7 .
Since January 2018, Diane has been based in the Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands (previously CLAHRC) doing research with clinical academics. Findings from the first part of the study with nurses, midwives and allied health professionals was published by the BMJ Open in October 2019 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030595. The article was commended by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
A study of medical clinical academics in the East Midlands has been conducted, the results of which will be published shortly. In addition, a paper comparing clinical academic experiences of medical trainees and nurses, midwives and allied health professionals is currently under review.
Diane recently completed a study of clinical academics' experiences during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. A manuscript will be submitted shortly.
Diane's current research is a STEMM-CHANGE funded project focussing on female clinical academics' experiences of combining clinical academic careers with family life.
Teaching Summary
Narrative analysis workshop convenor: Midlands Graduate School ESRC Doctoral Training Centre
Foundations in Qualitative Methods: Midlands Graduate School ESRC Doctoral Training Centre
Module convenor: Research Skills for Social Work
Research Design and Practice
Understanding Contemporary Society
Investigating Social Worlds
Research Summary
I am currently a Research Fellow on an ongoing NIHR SPCR funded grant, titled 'Experiences and knowledge of pharmacists, nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists certifying fit notes'.… read more
Current Research
I am currently a Research Fellow on an ongoing NIHR SPCR funded grant, titled 'Experiences and knowledge of pharmacists, nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists certifying fit notes'. The research involves surveying and interviewing these healthcare professionals to explore their experiences of certifying fit notes and identify any issues that might affect their completion.
Previously I worked on the Return to Work after Stroke (RETAKE) project working collaboratively to produce the process evaluation and preparing manuscripts and other dissemination activities (ongoing). Also involved in conducting further research into experiences of return to work support during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of stroke survivors and employers.
During my 5 years at the Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands, my research focussed on experiences of clinical academics. This included exploring the experiences of nurses, midwives and AHPs pursuing a clinical academic career, a comparison of their experiences with those of medical clinical academics, and a study of experiences of combining a clinical academic career with family life. This led on to a STEMM-CHANGE funded project: Identifying, and challenging, barriers to progress for female clinical academics with family responsibilities. The resulting publication can be found here:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/3/e056364
The most recent project explored clinical academics' experiences of working at the clinical frontline during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting publication can be found here:http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/leader-2020-000414
Past Research
My PhD focussed on womens' experiences during and after treatment for early breast cancer. Resulting publications include breast cancer as biographical disruption, the importance of hair loss in the cancer identity, perceptions of social interactions during cancer treatment, comparison of men's and women's experiences of hair loss resulting from breast cancer treatment, and experiences working during and after breast cancer treatment.
Following my PhD I successfully applied for a Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness Mildred Blaxter postdoctoral fellowship. This enabled me to conduct further research which focussed on women's experiences after treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
Other research that I have been involved in includes:
Future Research
Future research will explore the post-stroke experiences of women. Most stroke research includes more male than female participants; consequently stroke rehabilitation tends to be based on (white) men's needs. It is therefore important to explore the experiences of female stroke survivors (particularly those from BAME backgrounds) who are currently underrepresented in stroke and vocational research. This will help us identify particular issues affecting them such as caring responsibilities, and how returning to paid work fits into their post-stroke plans.