Personal Statement
Dr Erin McCloskey is a qualitative health researcher specialising in public and patient involvement (PPIE) and participatory health research, with a strong commitment to advancing maternal and reproductive health equity. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Erin moved to the UK to pursue an MSc in Global Mental Health at King’s College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She went on to earn her PhD in Health and Wellbeing at Canterbury Christ Church University, where her research explored how parents bereaved by stillbirth navigate grief through baby loss peer support groups. Using grounded theory, creative methods, and autoethnography, Erin also drew on her own lived experience of loss to inform and enrich her work.

Today, Erin’s research is centred on amplifying lived experience to shape digital health tools and research strategies that are both inclusive and responsive to people’s real needs.

With over a decade of experience across academia, civic organisations, and public health, she has led PPIE strategies, designed and facilitated innovative qualitative research methods, and co-produced initiatives that bridge data science with lived experience—ensuring that the voices of those most affected are at the heart of health research and practice.

Research Overview
DynAIRx Study

My current work on the DynAIRx study is about making healthcare more responsive to the needs of people living with multiple long-term conditions. I lead a work package that brings patient and public involvement to the heart of the project by co-designing digital health tools and strategies in partnership with patients, communities, and practitioners. A key focus of this work is ensuring that the development of new technologies is not just data-driven, but grounded in experiences of people living with complex health needs. By connecting data science with lived experience, I aim to help create healthcare solutions that are inclusive, compassionate, and practical in people’s healthcare journeys.