Meet the team
Project Lead:
Dr Tracey McConnell
Lecturer in Palliative and End of Life Care,
School of Nursing and Midwifery,
Queen’s University Belfast,
(Honorary Marie Curie Senior Research Fellow)
Expertise:
• Palliative Care and Health Services Research background
• Extensive experience in realist review methodology, execution and supporting reviews.
Member of online Delphi group with an interdisciplinary panel of experts from academia and policy for the RAMESES project (www.ramesesproject.org) that developed realist review quality and publication standards and training materials.
Research Fellow:
David Scott
School of Nursing and Midwifery,
Queen’s University Belfast
Expertise:
My research interests include the design, development and evaluation of services designed to enhance the wellbeing and quality of life of palliative care patients and their lay carers.
My research has involved the implementation of a wide range of health service research methodologies including systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials, realist evaluation and qualitative methods.
Research Fellow:
Ashleen Crowe
School of Nursing and Midwifery,
Queen’s University Belfast
Expertise:
Ashleen did her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry, graduating in 2010. She worked in a variety of fields before completing her PhD at Queen’s University Belfast in 2023. Her PhD was a qualitative study in public health and focused on information and communication services for those with a rare disease. She has since moved into the area of palliative care, and is working as a research fellow in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s University Belfast on PallHeartSynthesis II. Outside of work she likes to stay active, has a few creative projects on the go, and attempts to grow a bit of veg in the garden with her family.
Project Site Lead:
Dr Andrew Kerr
NHS Speciality Doctor in Cardiology
Expertise:
Dr Andrew Kerr is a Specialty Doctor in Cardiology based in Lagan Valley Hospital, Lisburn. He graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 2013 and was appointed to his current position in 2019. Andrew completed MSc in business improvement from the University of Ulster and has a keen interest in development of services for patients in local communities. He has led on the development of the rapid assessment heart function service in Lagan Valley and has an interest in developing closer links with palliative care services for heart failure patients.
Project Site Lead:
Dr Rachel Campbell
South Eastern Trust in Northern Ireland
Expertise:
Dr Rachel Campbell is a Consultant in Palliative Medicine based in the South Eastern Trust in Northern Ireland since 2021, working within Hospital and Community Services. Along with Cardiology colleagues she has developed a Supportive Heart Failure service in the Lisburn area to support patients living with end stage heart failure.
Project Site Lead:
Dr Honey Thomas, Consultant Cardiologist
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Expertise:
Honey Thomas is a Consultant Cardiologist based within Northumbria Healthcare NHS foundation trust in the North East of England. She completed cardiology training and a postgraduate MD qualification in the North East, developing a subspecialty interest in heart failure and advanced rhythm management/complex device implantation. She introduced and jointly leads the local service for implantation and follow up of complex cardiac devices. She contributes to cardiology research within Northumbria healthcare and act as Principal Investigator on several multicentre NIHR trials. She is secretary of the British Heart Rhythm Society (BHRS) and a member of the examination board for the BHRS professional accreditation qualification. She has led the BHRS work to develop and share a national guidance document for perioperative management of cardiac implantable electronic devices and shock therapy deactivation for patients approaching the end of life. She has a major interest in atrial fibrillation and is passionate about improving the quality of care in this area, developing local and regional pathways to try and optimise the care of patients with AF. She currently chairs the cardiac rhythm management subgroup of the Northern England Clinical Network specialty group. She works with the Pace4life charity aiming to allow patients in less developed economies to benefit from cardiac implantable devices.
Co-Applicant:
Dr Clea Atkinson BM MRCP(UK) Dip Pall Med
University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.
Expertise:
Clea qualified as a doctor from Southampton University in 1995 and trained in Palliative Care in Cardiff 2000-2005. After being Medical Director and Consultant at St. Ann’s Hospice, Gwent for almost 10 years she became Palliative and Supportive Care Consultant in University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK in 2015. She is an Honorary Senior Lecturer for Cardiff University and a holds a Bevan Commission Fellowship. She has a special interest in innovative approaches to provision of Palliative Care for advanced non-malignant conditions including development of a patient-centred co-speciality Supportive Care pathway for patients in later stages of Heart Failure and other non-cancer conditions. She and her team were winners in the Medi-Wales award for ‘Innovation within the NHS’ in 2019 and 2022 as well as being winners in the NHS Wales awards for ‘Delivering Higher Value Health and Care’ and ‘Person-Centred Care’ in 2022 and 2024.
Co-Applicant:
Professor Geoff Wong
Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences,
University of Oxford
Expertise:
• NHS GP
• Extensive experience in realist review methodology, execution and supporting reviews
• Lead researcher on RAMESES project (www.ramesesproject.org) that developed realist review quality and publication standards and training materials.
Co-Applicant:
Dr Joy Ross
Lead Palliative Care Consultant, St Christopher’s Hospice London.
Honorary Senior Lecturer, Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull
NIHR Senior Clinical and Practitioner Research Award (SCPRA)
Expertise:
• Palliative care specialist with over 15 years experience working in hospital, hospice and community settings.
• Leadership to enable St Christopher’s to grow as a research-active hospice and embed outcome measures in clinical practice, demonstrating and improving patient-centred impact
• Focus on developing palliative care services for the frail elderly and those with non-malignant disease including heart failure.
• Advisory group to the National Audit for Care at the End of Life (NACEL).
Dr Ross trained at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Medical School and completed her PhD at Imperial College, London, studying the pharmacogenetics of response to opioids.
Prior to joining St Christopher’s, she worked as a Palliative Care Consultant at St Joseph’s Hospice, London and at the Royal Marsden and Royal Brompton Palliative Care Service.
Co-Applicant and PPI Representative:
Linda Cooper
Former carer
Expertise:
I am a nurse and worked for the NHS for 40 years. I am passionate about patients and families being supported during the most difficult times of their lives….when illness becomes palliative or end of life.
My father died in 2022 at home, and he didn’t receive the end of life care he deserved and we as a family want to participate in research which aims to make this a better experience for everyone.
Co-Applicant:
Professor Loreena Hill
Expertise:
Heart failure nurse with prescribing authority since 2006 in Belfast Health and Social care Trust. Employed at Queen’s University in 2017, working as a Reader in the School of Nursing & Midwifery until February 2025, when I moved to Ulster University to take up the position of Professor of Nursing Research and Impact. Personal research interests centre around Heart Failure, in particular patients with an implanted cardiac device (ICD) and those in advanced/palliative stages of HF. I commenced a 3-year Career Development Research Fellowship, specifically for Nurses & Allied professionals, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in April 2023. In 2024, I also began leading the NI partnership for ICARE4CVD an INNOVATE UK funded project, which aims to define novel care pathways across the spectrum of cardiovascular disease (i.e. from early risk to established HF), thereby assessing change in risk and stratify patients according to their individual responses to therapy.
Co-Applicant:
Professor Miriam Johnson
Hull York Medical School
Expertise:
Miriam Johnson is Professor of Palliative Medicine at Hull York Medical School, Associate Director of the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre at the University of Hull, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia and Adjunct Professor at the Manipal Academy for Higher Education, Karnataka, India. Her interests include holistic needs assessment, mechanisms and management of breathlessness and inequalities in palliative care service provision e.g., for people with non-malignant disease such as heart failure and respiratory disease. For 20 years she was also a consultant palliative physician and set up one of the UK’s first integrated palliative care-heart failure services.
Co-Applicant:
Yvonne Millerick, Nurse Consultant
Senior Lecturer
Professional Qualifications:
Registered General Nurse, BSc Nursing Studies, MSc Cardiac Palliative Care, PgCert Teaching/Learning Higher Education, V300 Independent Nurse Prescriber, Advanced Communication Facilitator.
Professional Awards:
Fellow of the British Society for Heart Failure 2022: One of 25 International Heart Failure Luminaries to be awarded a Fellow of the BSH for outstanding contribution to Heart Failure, Palliative Care and the Society.
Winner of the British Society for Heart Failure 2022: Prestigious Lynda Blue Award, BHF 2014: Outstanding Contribution award, BJCN 2008: Innovation through Heart Failure Specialist Nurse Education.
Finalist in the Royal College Nursing 2022: Patient Choice Award
Expertise:
Yvonne is a Heart Failure Palliative Care Nurse Consultant Senior Lecturer and works in partnership with patients, families and professionals living and working across NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Glasgow Caledonian University and the United Kingdom. Her professional portfolio extends over 38 years and includes clinical, academic, innovation, research and nursing leadership within cardiology, heart failure and supportive palliative and end of life care. Innovations include the (BHF/MC) Caring Together Heart Failure Palliative Care Programme, (SG) Clinical Education Programme, NHS Service Developments and Re-design. Yvonne is the module leader for the Chronic Heart Failure: Optimising Health and Wellbeing 30 credits Masters Level Module and the Supportive Palliative Care for Patients with Advancing Cardiac Disease 15 credit Masters Level Module, both these modules are delivered from Glasgow Caledonian University.
Yvonne has several publications and remains committed and passionate about providing and driving high quality heart failure care, support and education for patients, carers and professionals across the UK.
Past/current affiliations include, the British Society for Heart Failure (BSH), Scottish Heart Failure Hub, Scottish Government (SG), Marie Curie (MC), the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and NHS Education for Scotland.
Patient:
John Burden
British Heart Foundation Patient and Public Involvement Network member
Expertise:
• Lived experience of heart failure
John’s role is to ensure the research focuses on what matters to patients and their families
PPI Representative:
Nicole McKelvie
Nicole McKelvie is Chairwoman and Co-founder for Heart Failure Warriors NI, a patient and carer led group set up in Northern Ireland to help improve the quality of life for patients living with heart failure, LVAD, pre- and post-transplant heart recipients and to empower and support their families, caregivers and friends. It is a non-profit organisation that provides peer support, education, resources, therapeutic and social activities forming a unique community. Nicole was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy and severe heart failure at the end of January 2023 and is delighted to be part of the PalliatHeartSynthesis II project. Nicole sits on both the Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy Councils for Global Heart Hub and is a patient advocate for the British Society for Heart Failure and has recently become a member of QUB CRG. Heart Failure Warriors are involved in several research projects and continue to raise awareness of this life limiting condition.
Patient:
Robert Ruane
British Heart Foundation Patient and Public Involvement Network member
Expertise:
• Lived experience of heart failure
Robert’s role is to ensure the research focuses on what matters to patients and their families