Alicia O’Cathain is Professor of Health Services Research at the Sheffield Centre of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield, UK. She is Director of the Health and Care Research Unit which covers health care, social care and voluntary services. She leads research on the evaluation of new health services, the development and evaluation of complex interventions for chronic conditions, and methodology.
Her current studies, in collaboration with others, include: taking a patient-centred approach to surveillance for men with abdominal aortic aneurysms, evaluation of verbal health literacy training in a health system, implementation of an intervention to prevent and manage delirium in palliative care units, retention of the paid workforce in voluntary services, and improving implementation of budgets for people with learning disabilities. She has written guidance on developing interventions, using qualitative research with randomised controlled trials, and mixed methods research.