Research & Evaluation

Katherine combines traditional social and market research approaches with a wealth of experience and expertise in gaining trust from professionals and service users alike, including vulnerable and seldom heard individuals and groups. She has expertise across the spectrum from qualitative research interviews, focus group facilitation and online surveying, to data management, analysis and reporting. As a Certified Member of the Market Research Association (CMRS), Katherine is bound by their code of ethics and brings professionalism and empathy to complex research, evaluation and reporting assignments.

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Publications

Caring During COVID-19: Identifying Research Priorities for Family Carers (Family Carers Ireland, 2022)

Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science (The Lancet, 2020)

Understanding people’s concerns about the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (MQ and the Academy of Medical Sciences, 2020)

A Practical Guide to Being Inclusive in Public Involvement in Health Research - lessons from the Reaching Out programme (INVOLVE, 2020)

Reporting guideline for priority setting of health research (REPRISE) (BMC Medical Research Methodology, 2019)

Can patients be involved in preclinical research? (BMJ Open Science, 2018)

Does funded research reflect the priorities of people living with type 1 diabetes? A secondary analysis of research questions (BMJ Open, 2017)

Involving Children and Young People in Research: Top Tips and Key Issues (INVOLVE, 2016)

Examples of regional networks for public involvement in research (INVOLVE, 2016)

Senior Investigators: leaders for patient and public involvement in research (National Institute for Health Research, 2014)

What are the experiences of external executive coaches working with coachees’ assigned goals? (International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 2013)

Ready, set, goal (Coaching at Work, 2013)

Respect? Evaluation report (British Youth Council and YouthNet, 2009)

Britain and Beyond (YouthNet, 2008)

Bullying: preventing the bullying and harassment of gay employees (Stonewall, 2007)

Network Groups: setting up networks for LGB employees (Stonewall, 2005)

Sector Study 28: Housing associations and domestic violence (Housing Corporation, 2003)

Testimonials

Working Chance has been commissioning Katherine for several years to evaluate its programmes to support women leaving the criminal justice and care systems. This has included the design and delivery of user-led evaluations, where our service users have been trained by Katherine to carry out interviews and data collection. Katherine has produced evaluation reports which have directly fed into our applications for Lottery and other funding streams. Katherine's approach is always professional and compassionate. She is thorough in the planning and delivery of her work, taking time to understand our needs, and has been able to build a close and productive working relationship with Working Chance's diverse team of staff and volunteers. She maintains high standards ethically and in terms of the quality of her work, and has repeatedly delivered outputs which are relevant, useful, and practical for a small but growing charity such as Working Chance. I would not hesitate to recommend Katherine as a first class researcher and evaluator.

Jocelyn Hillman OBE, Founder and Chief Executive, Working Chance

As part of our 20th Anniversary plans, Katherine carried out a piece of research which examined WOMANKIND’s history, our activities, policy development, fundraising and the beneficiaries with whom we have worked with over the past 20 years. The work was based on analysis of our current and historical documents which Katherine traced from a range of sources. In order to complete the research she consulted a number of staff, all of whom enjoyed working with her, commenting that she was extremely friendly and polite. Katherine was very pro-active and meticulous in her approach to this research and produced a document that we are extremely happy with. It was a pleasure to work with someone as professional and personable as Katherine.

Helen Whittaker, Head of Fundraising and Communications, WOMANKIND Worldwide

Katherine’s work with the Albert Kennedy Trust as a researcher and adviser was impeccable. She understood what we were hoping to achieve and translated this into a coherent and comprehensive research project. She also demonstrated a real understanding of best practice in working with young people both as participants and researchers, which was empathic and empowering. Katherine showed an ability to adapt her style for working with both fellow researchers and lay people. Her values, ethics, motivation and understanding showed she is a ‘real world’ researcher with a commitment to ensuring the views of LGBT people are portrayed clearly and without prejudice or subjectivity. Katherine is very client focused in her work and was willing at all points to listen to our concerns and views, as well as being able to offer clear and objective advice. The final report she produced has proved incredibly useful as a tool for: campaigning and lobbying; providing a case for support to funders; proving our own credibility in the field of homelessness and housing; and informing the ongoing development of our work. Without hesitation I would recommend Katherine as a researcher, consultant and trainer.

Tim Sigsworth, Chief Executive, The Albert Kennedy Trust

INVOLVE has commissioned the services of Katherine to develop a range of public involvement resources. Using her skills, knowledge and experience in public involvement, Katherine has facilitated discussions with key stakeholders and produced materials on a range of topics, such as how to involve children and young people, exploring regional involvement networks, learning and development for public involvement, and how senior investigators involve the public in their research. Katherine’s skills, knowledge and experience in public involvement and in health and social care research have been vital to the quality of these discussions, which have informed the production of materials that are accessible to a range of audiences. We would have no hesitation in commissioning Katherine’s expertise for future projects.

INVOLVE, National Institute for Health Research

Assignments include:

  • Survey design and analysis to identify people's concerns about the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (MQ Transforming Mental Health and the Academy of Medical Sciences) (see also BBC News and The Guardian)
  • Development of a practical guide to being inclusive and involving seldom heard groups in health research (INVOLVE)
  • Design and delivery of user-led evaluation of Lottery-funded employment programmes for female ex-offenders and care leavers (Working Chance).
  • Facilitation of focus groups of people with cognitive impairments and life-limiting conditions, to identify views on Medicines Adaptive Pathways for Patients (Centre for the Advancement of Sustainable Medical Innovation, University of Oxford).
  • Production of good practice guidance, based on literature review and service user consultation, on involving children and young people in the design and delivery of health research (INVOLVE, National Institute for Health Research).
  • Case study development of options for beneficiary involvement in governance (Centre for Ageing Better).
  • Analysis and reporting of survey data on the sex and relationship needs of young people with cancer (CLIC Sargent).