Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search
Profile image of Maureen Twiddy

Dr Maureen Twiddy

Post Nominals BSc, MSc, PhD, FHEA, GMBPsS
Biography I am a post doctoral health services researcher with expertise in behavioural science. I have a BSc in Psychology (2003) and MSc in Psychological Approaches to Health (2004) from the University of Leeds. I received my PhD in 2009 from the University of Leeds. Following my PhD I worked as a post doctoral research fellow at Leeds Institute of Health Sciences and joined the University of Hull in 2017.

I am a mixed methods researcher and lead the Institute of Clinical and Applied Health Research (ICAHR) Methods Hub. I work closely with the Hull Health Trials Unit and Leeds Clinical Trials Unit. I have expertise in a range of qualitative and quantitative research approaches (co-design, surveys, observational studies, clinical trials, process evaluations, interviews, and focus groups). Much of my current work involves undertaking process evaluations linked to clinical trials, and leading qualitative studies aimed at understanding the experience of patients and staff involved in trials.

I have chaired the Faculty of Health Sciences Ethics Committee since July 2022, and sit on the HYMS Academic Cases Committee (since 2020).
Research Interests Dr Twiddy as a number of research interests
1. Living with chronic illness and the supportive care needs of patients and carers.
2. Improving recruitment and retention to clinical trials through the application of qualitative methods to understand patient and staff perspectives of trial design, new interventions/surgical approaches and how these are embedded into clinical practice.
3. The use of Mixed Methods approaches in health research.
Teaching and Learning Dr Twiddy teaches on :
MBBS (phase I & II)
MSc in Pharmacology and Drug Development (Bench to Bedside II)
MSc in Palliative and Supportive Care. Co-led for module: Developing and evaluating complex interventions
Scopus Author ID 54885321700
PhD Supervision Availability Yes
PhD Topics Dr Twiddy welcomes PhD/MSc applications in the areas of:
Clinical trial design/recruitment issues
Chronic illness management
Care pathways
Patient and Public Involvement

Current PhD students
Laura Hermann - NIHR Doctoral Fellow: Improving the recruitment of females to clinical trials; A mixed methods study using coproduction to generate evidence-based recommendations. (co-supervisor)
Stephanie Meddick-Dyson NIHR Doctoral Fellow: Co-developing and implementation toolkit for palliative care in the intensive care unit. (co-supervisor)
Nurun Tania - Understanding the factors that influence engagement with specialist alcohol use disorder services for patients with alcohol related liver disease. (co-supervisor)
Louise Hitchman - NIHR Doctoral Fellow: Evaluating Shockwave therapy Of Lower Extremity diabetic Foot ULcers (SOLEFUL) (co-supervisor)
Sarah Hodge - University of Hull Cluster Fellowship: Embedding exercise into the cancer pathway (lead supervisor)
Francesca Leone- "Is Cardiac Surgery a Trauma? The “Heart of the Matter Study” (Lead supervisor)


Completed Students
Dr Santanu Acharya (MSc. 2011)
Dr Claire Mitchell (D.Clin, Psychol, 2013)
Dr Nichola Aspinall (MSc. 2013)
Dr Cheryl Craigs (PhD, 2015)
Dr Saja Al Reyes (PhD, 2015)
Dr Louise Johnson (D. Clin, Psychol., 2015)
Dr Nery Forester (MSc., 2016)
Dr Jessica Drinkwater - Participatory research to strengthen the role of patient and public involvement in general practice service improvement (PhD, 2021)
Dr Wendy Burton - The development and evaluation of an optimisation strategy to support children’s centres to implement a public health programme (PhD, co-supervisor, 2021 )
Dr Evangelos Ntanopoulos - Emerging environmental contaminants and health inequalities. (Primary supervisor) (PhD, 2022)
Dr Joanne Palmer - Inpatient Exercise for Critical Limb Ischaemia Patients Pre and Post Major Surgery: A Proof of Concept Study (EXERCISE) (co-supervisor) (PhD, 2022)
Hayley Crane - A mixed methods study of outcomes, experiences, and perceptions of through-knee and above-knee amputation (co-supervisor; PhD, 2023)
Adil Hazara - Systematic review and mixed-methods feasibility study of a novel transitional regime of incremental haemodialysis (Primary supervisor; PhD 2023)
Pam Parker -A proof of concept study evaluating the role of emerging ultrasound technologies in the assessment and monitoring of localised prostate cancer in men on an active surveillance programme. (Primary supervisor) (PhD 2024)
Lady Akwa - Development of a lifestyle physical activity intervention for women who misuse alcohol (co-supervisor) (PhD 2024)