Professor Alice Turner
Co-Director Midlands PSRC
Alice is the co-director of the Midlands PSRC, based at the University of Birmingham. Alice also spent some time as Associate Medical Director for Quality and Safety at UHBFT, where she contributed to a range of safety work. Her research background (e.g. clinical trials, epidemiology) makes her an advocate for use of data to drive change, while her leadership experience in safety has equipped her with an understanding of why practice does not correspond to evidence.
Arabella Scantlebury
Programme lead
Arabella (Bella) is the programme lead for Pathways and culture. As a leading methodologist Bella is renowned for leading complex, national-level research at pace and scale to improve production and delivery of high-quality actionable evidence that is directly translated into healthcare policy and practice. As an implementation scientist and mixed methods researcher, Bella also uniquely possesses expertise in: qualitative research, randomised controlled trials and evidence synthesis. Bella is most passionate about research in surgery and emergency medicine, where she enjoys exploring ways to enhance the organisation and delivery health care and encourage evidence-based practice.
Justin Aunger
Programme deputy lead and research fellow
Justin is the deputy lead for Pathways and culture. He has a background in behavioural science and in working on complex behavioural challenges in healthcare; he is working on a research stream around safety culture, such as to reduce unprofessional behaviours between healthcare staff. He is also leading a workstream on improving lung cancer surveillance.
Russell Mannion
Collaborator
Russell is an internationally-recognised social science expert in quality and safety who has carried out ground breaking work in speaking-up and board governance. He is experienced in translating evidence into practical recommendations for change. Russell also leads the University of Birmingham’s contribution to the Healthcare Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute, which aims to strengthen the evidence base for improving health care and create a world-leading asset for the NHS and for science.
Sam Watson
Collaborator
Sam has expertise in applied statistics in public health and healthcare. His current research looks at methods of evaluation in low resource settings including cluster trial and survey methodology particularly using Bayesian methods.
Yumna Masood
Research fellow
Yumna is a mixed-methods applied health researcher focused on developing and evaluating health equity–driven healthcare interventions through inclusive design and meaningful patient and public involvement (PPI). Her work spans women’s health, digital health, healthcare systems, and culturally adapted models of care. She leads an evaluation of the implementation of acute respiratory infection hubs in Birmingham, supporting service planning through stakeholder engagement and pathway analysis.
Yixin Wang
Research fellow
Yixin is a statistician with experience in quantitative evaluation methods applied to various applied health projects. Within the Pathway and Culture programme, she serves as a co-investigator on the COPD Risk Stratification and ARI Hub Evaluation project. She is also leading a Cancer Waiting Time project, which aims to help reduce diagnostic backlogs and support the delivery of more timely and accurate cancer diagnoses within the cancer care pathway.
Naureen Ali
Research associate
Naureen is a health and social science researcher with a strong interest in improving health outcomes related to both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Her work is grounded in a commitment to understanding health challenges within community settings, where behavioural, cultural, and social factors often intersect to shape health behaviours and outcomes.