Patricia is a health researcher interested in improving the lives of those affected by a neurological condition. Her research explores the impact that these conditions can have not only on the lives of those affected by them but also on the family as a whole. In 2017 Patricia and her colleagues completed a research project where they designed and evaluated a lay peer support intervention for stroke rehabilitation. Leading from that work Patricia was successful in attracting Welsh Government RCBC Wales post-doctoral fellowship funding. In her fellowship Patricia applied innovative approaches to map the experiences and identify the sources of support of young adults living in families affected by a neurological condition.  Patricia has recently joined the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research (CADR) where she will continue to develop research focussed on designing and evaluating interventions tailored to support young carers of people living with dementia. She is currently a co-investigator on a randomised controlled trial and feasibility study of the effects of an e-health intervention ‘iSupport’ for reducing distress of dementia carers, especially in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Patricia leads the workpackage focussed on adapting iSupport to meet the needs of young dementia carers. 

Patricia completed a BSc and a Research Master’s degree in Marine Sciences before making a career change and training as an Occupational Therapist in 2009. Her interest in the evaluation and implementation of complex rehabilitation interventions led her to a PhD during which she carried out the process evaluation of the OTCH trial (Occupational Therapy intervention for residents with stroke in UK Care Homes) that investigated the impact of a targeted course of occupational therapy on people living in nursing and residential homes after suffering from a stroke. Patricia was also part of the team based at Bangor University that lead the process evaluation of the PD COMM trial which is a phase III multi centre randomised controlled trial that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of two approaches to speech and language therapy (SLT) compared to no SLT intervention for people with Parkinson’s disease.  

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 01248 383129

Location: School of Health Sciences, Fron Heulog, Bangor

Current PhD students:

• Trys Burke - ‘People power’: Modelling feasibility and mapping implementation strategies for Peer Support in Adventure Outdoor Activities as a driver to promote community wellbeing’. School of Health Sciences, Bangor University (KESS funding)

• Madhur Mrinal – Stroke survivor, life, and family care: Recovery and Rehabilitation in New Delhi (India). School of Medical and Health Sciences (Bangor University)
• Tom Graham – Exploring the implementation of AI systems for stroke care in Wales. School of Health Sciences (Bangor University)