Personal Statement
In addition to my role as Professor within the department of Primary Care and Mental health I am an Honorary Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool undertaking predominantly out patient clinics and community palliative care for patients living with any life limiting illness and have an honorary contact as consultant in primary medical care with Liverpool CCG. For the last 15 years, I have supported the work of Lyndale Cancer Support Centre at Huyton, which supports patients and carers in one of most socio-economically deprived areas of our city, by providing updates and training sessions for their volunteers.

My research fits into the theme of "living well and ageing well " and focuses on the assessment and non pharmacological management of depression in patients with advanced cancer and non-pharmacological interventions for physical symptoms in life limiting illness. I collaborate with academics, clinicians, patients and carers within UK and internationally. I conducted one of largest longitudinal studies of patients with advanced cancer in Europe following up over 600 patients for 6 months. I am leading a feasibility trial of a focused narrative intervention co-developed with patients and carers (Discern) following re-purposing the intervention to be delivered remotely. I also research how we can determine the best models for supporting older people with life limiting illness to live at home until the end of life and how we can support their family carers by researching the most effective respite and interventions to equip carers to manage pain and other symptoms.

I sit on the editorial boards of two international palliative care journals and am UK editor of the highly successful US based Textbook of Palliative Medicine and serve on committees relating to palliative and supportive care . My book "Psychosocial Care in Palliative Care" is a consistent best- seller within the Oxford University Press Palliative Care series with the third edition being highly commended in the BMA 2019 Book Awards Medicine Section.

I was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship in 2019.

I contribute to undergraduate teaching by delivering lectures, as small group facilitator in years 1-3, and regularly teaching medical students within my clinics.

I have as primary supervisor successfully supervised 14 PhD Students to successful completion and am currently supervising two PhD students as primary supervisor.

Research Overview
My research is within the theme of "living well and ageing well "

Specifically :

Improving the care of depression and low mood in patients with advanced disease. Along with colleagues at the University of Liverpool we devised and validated the Brief Edinburgh Depression Scale (BEDS) within the advanced cancer population. The BEDS is widely translated including within resource poor countries and is widely used nationally and internationally.

Our longitudinal study of mood and depression over 6 months is still producing publications with national and international collaborators and via ODA seed funding developing research with the Mexican Cancer Institute where over 70% of patients present with advanced disease and where depression and psychosocial distress are a major problem.

I collaborate and lead on studies to improve the care and support offered to older people living with life limiting illness including dementia within the community and interventions for their families by researching the most effective methods of respite and researching how we can best support family carers by providing educational interventions.