The Q-ASSIST team

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  Dr. Linda Biesty

  Deputy Director Evidence Synthesis Ireland & Cochrane Ireland

  Dr Linda Biesty is an Associate Professor in Midwifery at University of Galway, a midwife and qualitative researcher with over 20 years of experience weaving research into clinical practice across a range of health and social questions. She is Deputy Director of Evidence Synthesis Ireland, a Research Advisor with the Qualitative Research in Trials Centre (QUESTS), and a member of the Executive Management Committee of the HRB-Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN). Her qualitative-in-trials methodology work spans the Encounter Study, the MERIT Project, and QUALShare, alongside qualitative evidence syntheses focused on trial recruitment and retention; all exploring how qualitative research can make trials more rigorous, relevant, and inclusive. That experience is exactly what she brings to leading Q-ASSIST.

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  Dr. Catherine Houghton

  Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Evidence Science, University of Galway

  Catherine Houghton is Associate Professor in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Evidence Science at the University of Galway. Catherine is a qualitative researcher with research focusing primarily qualitative evidence synthesis methodology, psychosocial research in dementia care and the integration of qualitative research within trials. Catherine is a research associate with Health Research Board-Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN) and Evidence Synthesis Ireland supporting the development of rigorous, evidence-informed health research. Catherine is also a co-convenor of the Cochrane Qualitative Implementation Methods group.

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  Professor Laura Jones

  Professor of Qualitative and Mixed Methods Women’s Health Research, University of Birmingham

  Laura Jones (she/her) is Professor of Qualitative and Mixed Methods Women’s Health Research at the University of Birmingham. Her research uses qualitative and mixed methods to improve the design, delivery, and evaluation of inclusive health interventions and clinical trials, particularly in women’s and maternal health. Within Q-ASSIST, Laura brings expertise in qualitative research, process evaluation, patient and stakeholder engagement, and inclusive trials methodology. Her work focuses on understanding and addressing barriers to participation for underserved groups, supporting meaningful involvement, and learning how trial processes can be adapted in practice to make research more accessible, relevant, and equitable.

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  Dr. Shoba Dawson

  Associate Professor of Inclusive Research and Healthcare Practice, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol

  Dr Shoba Dawson is an Associate Professor of Inclusive Research and Healthcare Practice at Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol. Her research focuses on developing and evaluating inclusive research methodologies that address health inequities in primary care, clinical trials, and applied health research. She leads the Trial Forge Inclusive Research Centre, which aims to strengthen the evidence base for methodological approaches to improve inclusivity in trials, enhancing decision-making, relevance and generalisability. Shoba brings expertise in evidence synthesis, patient and public involvement and engagement, and the design of equitable research practices to the Q-ASSIST study.

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  Dr. Andrew Hunter

  Head of School, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Galway

  Dr Andrew Hunter is Head of School at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Galway, since June 2023. His research methodological expertise and topic areas are: (i) primary methodology research on the use of qualitative research in trials. (ii) mental health nursing and (iii) psychosocial intervention use across the lifespan.

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  Teena Thomas

  Research Assistant, Q-ASSIST Study, University of Galway

  Teena Thomas holds a Master’s in Health Data Science from the University of Galway, an MBA in Healthcare Management, and a BSc in Microbiology-Biochemistry. Before joining the University of Galway, she worked in healthcare market research, gaining experience across diverse therapeutic areas in the Asia-Pacific region. Her research interests include qualitative methodologies, inclusive clinical trial design, and patient-centred approaches to health services research. She has worked extensively with Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD), an approach that brings patients and healthcare providers together to co-design services based on real experiences. Teena is the Research Assistant on the Q-ASSIST study, working with Linda Biesty, Catherine Houghton, Andrew Hunter, and other members of the QUESTS and HRB-TMRN team.

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