Dr Amy Creaser

Profile

I am a Research Fellow in behavioural oncology within the Division of Primary Care, Palliative Care and Preventive Medicine at the Leeds Institute of Health Sciences (LIHS). My research focuses on the development and evaluation of evidence-based behaviour change interventions for people living with and beyond cancer, with a particular emphasis on supporting underserved communities.

I have experience in the design, delivery and evaluation of complex interventions, using both qualitative and mixed-methods approaches. I am currently working on two research projects: FORALL, an NIHR-funded Programme Development Grant, and APPROACH, a Yorkshire Cancer Research-funded randomised controlled trial.

Within FORALL, I conduct qualitative research to explore the barriers and enablers influencing engagement with weight management behaviours among underserved women living with and beyond breast cancer. I also lead co-design workshops to collaboratively develop strategies that support the inclusion and participation of underserved communities in behavioural research. Within APPROACH, I support participant recruitment and work closely with NHS sites on governance, data collection, and site set-up and initiation to exploring the potential of a mobile phone application to increase physical activity in cancer patients.

Previously, I held Research Fellow positions within the School of Psychology at the University of Leeds and the Bradford Institute for Health Research. At the University of Leeds, I worked on the My First 1,000 Days Project, an initiative aimed at improving health and social outcomes for families and children in the first two years of life. I contributed to the core programme as well as the Physical Activity and Food & Nutrition workstreams, co-producing and implementing interventions and strategies to integrate group care into health systems. As part of this work, I collaborated with the Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network (Y-PERN) to identify policy levers to support early years education and childcare in West Yorkshire, offering new insights into how West Yorkshire Combined Authority can best support the revitalisation of the Early Years Education and Childcare sector. This informed strategic commissioning decisions of the Combined Authority.

At the Bradford Institute for Health Research, I was a Research Fellow within the Evaluation Theme of ActEarly, a large research consortium focused on improving early life chances for children living in areas of high deprivation, including Bradford, West Yorkshire, and Tower Hamlets, London. I contributed to the programme-level meta-evaluation, using participatory methods, such as Ripple Effects Mapping. I also supported the evaluation of individual projects, including an NIHR ARC-funded evaluation of hospital-based tobacco dependency services implemented as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, with a focus on smoking cessation services in maternity settings.

Qualifications

• PhD Behaviour Change Psychology
• BSc (Hons) Psychology

Student education

I have teaching experience as a Lecturer at the University of Bradford (2022–2023) and as a Teaching Fellow at Loughborough University (2020–2022). In these roles, I designed and delivered lectures and seminars and successfully supervised four MSc students. I am an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA). I currently co-supervise two Clinical Doctorate students and two Undergraduate students.

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Health Sciences