PhD Studentship:Transforming asthma care: Implementation of a behavioural science medication adherence intervention

The challenge and project

Medication non-adherence affects 75% of asthma patients, resulting in 100,000 avoidable hospital admissions every year and costing the NHS over £500 million annually. While the National Respiratory Audit Programme mandates that hospitals identify and address medication non-adherence, there are no evidence-based medication adherence interventions implemented in hospital respiratory services.

This PhD offers a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between behavioural and implementation sciences and clinical respiratory medicine. You will work to implement the IMAB-Qi (Identification of Medication Adherence Barriers Questionnaire intervention), a validated, behavioural science-underpinned intervention, into hospital services to diagnose barriers to adherence and provide evidence-based support to patients.

Through a four-phase mixed-methods approach, this PhD will involve undertaking:

• NHS datasets analysis: To identify priority patient groups most at risk of A&E admission due to non-adherence to asthma medicines.
• Evidence synthesis: To develop "programme theories" based on implementation science mechanisms on how hospital services can deliver behavioural interventions.
• Co-design: Working with respiratory clinicians, patients, and families to co-design an IMAB-Qi respiratory implementation intervention.

Training and development

You will receive training in quantitative and qualitative methodologies, emerging as a skilled mixed-methods researcher. You will develop expertise in:

• Implementation science: Understanding the drivers of adopting and delivering innovations within complex systems and designing interventions to address them.
• Advanced data skills: Handling complex NHS datasets and conducting systematic evidence syntheses.
• Co-design methodology: Working in partnership with clinicians, patients, and families to design interventions tailored to them and their context.

The supervisory team

You will be supervised by an interdisciplinary team combining expertise in implementation science, clinical trials, and respiratory medicine.

• Dr Sion Scott(primary supervisor): A Hospital Pharmacist and Associate Professor of Behavioural and Implementation Sciences.
• Professor Andrew Wilson(secondary supervisor): A Respiratory Physician and clinical trialist with extensive experience in conducting large clinical trials.
• Dr Sadiyah Hand (clinical supervisor): A Respiratory Physician providing direct clinical insight and links to the NHS service context.

Impact

You’ll train as an applied health researcher and an implementation scientist. The PhD outputs will provide evidence to underpin a future definitive trial.

Who should apply

This project is ideal for a candidate passionate about applied health research, implementation science, or respiratory care who wants to make a real-world difference to NHS services. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and from clinical and non-clinical disciplines, including healthcare professionals, psychologists, and health services researchers. Like the sound of the project but don’t fit into any of these groups? We still want to hear from you; reach out for an informal chat.

Entry requirements

Applicants are expected to hold (or about to obtain) a minimum upper second class undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent) in a healthcare profession subject (e.g. medicine, nursing, pharmacy), psychology, public health or other relevant discipline. Research experience in those areas is desirable. 

Mode of study

Full-time

Start date

1 October 2026

Additional Funding Information

This project is fully funded for 3 years. Funding includes tuition fees, an annual tax-free maintenance allowance and a research training support budget.

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