Nicola Cornwall

Biography

Nicola joined the Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences as a Research Associate in Applied Qualitative Health Research in March 2019.

Nicola graduated from Keele University 2012 with a Dual Honours BSc Degree in Human Biology and Psychology. She then went on to complete a Master of Science degree (MSc) at Keele in 2013, in ‘Clinical Psychological Research’, graduating with a distinction.

In 2014, Nicola joined the Bradford Institute for Health Research as a research fellow within the Academic Unit of Elderly Care and Rehabilitation. Whilst working as a research fellow, she worked on the LoTS-2-Care research project, an NIHR funded programme grant that aimed to develop and test a long-term integrated stroke care strategy focused on improving the quality of life of stroke survivors and their carers. She also worked on the a-MCI project, which investigated the use of screening tools to aid the identification of amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

In October 2015, Nicola commenced her PhD at the University of Leeds, after being awarded a 110 Anniversary Scholarship. Her PhD explored sedentary behaviour in stroke patients, with particular interest in stroke patients with severe mobility disabilities living at home.

Nicola returned to Keele in 2018 to work within the RaISE team as a Research Development Officer for the Faculty of Natural Sciences, before moving into her current role within the Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences.

Research and scholarship

Nicola is currently working on the PROMPPT study (www.promppt.co.uk) which aims to develop and test a multi-faceted, personalised clinical pharmacist-led intervention, which will identify patients with persistent pain who continue taking long-term opioids without clear benefit, or where side-effects outweigh benefits. The PROMPPT intervention will support these patients to optimise non-opioid pain management, including self-management strategies, and to safely reduce opioids.

Through Nicola’s studies and previous research roles, she has experience of both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Her PhD explored sedentary behaviour in stroke survivors with severe mobility disabilities living at home using systematic reviews, exercise physiology to measure energy expenditure of activities of daily living in a home environment and Q-methodology to explore the perspectives of stroke survivors, their informal carers and healthcare professionals involved in their care, in relation to sedentary behaviour.