Health and Wellbeing
Our research cluster focuses on the use and management of digital technologies, medical data and/or healthcare information, which includes digital as well as paper-based data and information, to support health care professionals, and health and wellbeing for patients, caregivers and the public.
About our work
We explore the use of information within healthcare, spanning both digital and paper-based information systems. We examine the information used by patients, their families, carers, health care and services professionals, and the public.
Our members use diverse qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
Quantitative methods include surveys, analysing data using statistical and data mining methods such as regression models, genetic algorithms, cutting-edge generative AI technologies.
Qualitative methods use interview and focus group methods, thematic analyses (e.g., framework analysis), and critical discourse analyses.
Our work is inherently collaborative and provides vital insights for stakeholders or partners within and beyond the University of Sheffield, including government departments, health Trusts, and charitable organisations. We work with colleagues in palliative or emergency medicine, public health, psychiatry, sociology, biomedical engineering, and computer science.
Key research areas
- Analysis of health data and information
- Evaluation of health information systems (needs and information behaviours)
- Women’s health
- Promotion of positive health outcomes in the global South
Our activities
We cultivate a ‘space for sharing’ for all members through our activities:
- Knowledge Sharing: Members demonstrate their research updates and knowledge; other members help discussing or interpreting findings and/or ideas emerged from presenter’s research.
- Discussing research problems: Members present specific research problems or proposals or papers (including those at initial stages) with other members to get feedback, collaborate on, and discuss different ways it could be approached by different disciplines
- Speed-research collaboration dating: We match in pairs (e.g., pairs of non-quantitative and quantitative researchers). These "Speed-research collaboration dating" rounds enable researchers with different research interests and expertise to discuss a shared health and/or wellbeing concern together.
Get involved with our work
The Health and Wellbeing cluster is led by Dr Zeyneb Kurt (z.kurt@sheffield.ac.uk). If you are a member of the School of Information, Journalism and Communication and wish to join the cluster, or you work in a related field and wish to collaborate, please get in touch.
Other cluster members include:
Academic and research staff
- Dr Asra Aslam
- Dr Neda Azarmehr
- Prof Peter A Bath
- Prof Laurence Brooks
- Dr Anna L Butters
- Dr Dave Cameron
- Dr Harry Kai-Ho Chan
- Dr Suzanne J Duffin
- Dr Morgan A Harvey
- Dr. Xiaorui Jiang
- Dr Kushwanth Koya
- Dr Gail Maconachie
- Dr Pam McKinney
- Dr Itzelle Aurora Medina Perea
- Dr Monica L Paramita
- Dr Judita Preiss
- Dr Lee J Pretlove
- Dr Lada T Price
- Dr Sophie Rutter
- Dr Sally Sanger
- Dr Laura Sbaffi
- Dr Adam Stanton
- Prof Mike Thelwall
- Dr Maria Tomlinson
- Dr Sharon Wagg
- Dr Laura Williams
- Dr Abdallah M Yaghi
- Dr Mengdie Zhuang