Research Interests
Open to PhD applications in the fields of…
- Music therapy within palliative and end-of-life care, and into bereavement
- Improving access to palliative care for those with cancer and non-cancer life-limiting conditions
- Alleviating loneliness among those impacted by life-limiting illness
- Increasing understanding of palliative care among generalist health and social care professionals, and the public
Public outreach & key achievements
- Interviewed on Marie Curie’s Music Care Campaign where I had the opportunity to promote my music therapy research for end-of-life care and bereavement resulting in:
21 items of coverage with a combined reach of 3.2m including:
- Coverage on 18 BBC regional and national stations e.g BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Midlands Show, BBC East Show
- Additional soundbites shared on news bulletins across radio news hub network of 400+ stations
- A bespoke pre-recorded audio package - expected to secure an additional 600+ items of coverage 
- Commentary on music therapy for Marie Curie’s Music Care Campaign featured in 16 national pieces, including 9 pieces of national print, one regional print (Yorkshire Post) and one international piece of print, resulting in a total of 236 pieces of coverage.  Key highlights include standalone pieces on The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Mail Online, and The New York Post .
- Podcast with Edith Bowman:
Music for the End, a Marie Curie podcast with Edith Bowman
In a special Marie Curie podcast, award-winning radio broadcaster and television presenter Edith Bowman is joined by Marie Curie Nurse Rekha Vijayshankar, Marie Curie Healthcare Assistant Viki Darvill, and Honorary Marie Curie Research Fellow Dr Tracey McConnell to explore how important is music at the end of life? - Podcast Press coverage on Facebook, Instagram, X and in:
NATIONAL (1)
The National – print
CONSUMER (1)
Verge Magazine
Research students
| PhD Title |
Support Needs of Family Caregivers of Patients with Advanced Cancer in a Home-based End-of-life Care Context in China |
| Name | Siting Lin |
| Country | China |
| Year of Study | 2024 - present |
| PhD Title | Co-design of an Evidenced Informed Logic Model of Integrated Palliative Care for Persons Living With a Severe Mental Illness |
| Name | Marianne Tinkle |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Year of Study |
2023 - present |
| PhD Title |
Behavioural Activation for People with Parkinson’s enhanced by a Virtual Reality (VR) exercise programme. BAPP-VR |
| Name | Greg Quee |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Year of Study | 2022 - present |
Discover More
- Honorary Marie Curie Senior Research Fellow