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Dr Matthew Allsop

Dr Matthew Allsop

  • Position: Associate Professor of Palliative Care
  • Areas of expertise: palliative care; cancer; digital technology; health research; user involvement; international health; refugee and migrant health
  • Email: M.J.Allsop@leeds.ac.uk
  • Phone: +44(0)113 343 4185
  • Location: Level 10 Worsley Building
  • Website: Twitter | Researchgate

Profile

I am an Associate Professor of Palliative Care funded by a Yorkshire Cancer Research University Academic Fellowship. My research explores the development of palliative care services including the design and evaluation of digital health approaches. 

I obtained my PhD from the School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds before spending time in the medical device industry supporting manufacturers with user involvement approaches and early-stage economic evaluation. I returned to the University of Leeds as a Research Fellow in Applied Health working with NHS clinical commissioners prior to joining the Academic Unit of Palliative Care.  

Current responsibilities include: 

  • Member of the University of Leeds Africa Strategy Group
  • Member of PallCHASE (Palliative Care in Humanitarian Aid Situations and Emergencies) 
  • Member of International Partnership for Resilience in Cancer Systems (I-PaRCS) 

Research interests

My research explores the development of palliative care services, including the design and evaluation of digital health approaches. My research is conducted across a range of settings including the UK, Indonesia, and multiple countries in Africa. 

My research as a primary investigator includes the following projects:

Projects funded as a co-investigator or collaborator include:

  • Royal Marsden Charity and Royal Marsden/ICR Biomedical Research Centre 2023: “Evaluation of Electronic Palliative Care Coordination Systems to support advance care planning for people living with life-limiting conditions”
  • Pfizer Global Bridges Oncology 2023: “Standardizing the Reporting of acute side effects and management through a Practice Improvement Project (STAR-PIPE)”
  • Worldwide University Network 2022: “Supporting nurses’ palliative care education needs”
  • Research England Policy Support Fund 2021: “Embedding the patient voice into palliative and end of life care policy in England”
  • Research England QR GCRF 2020: “Developing national physical activity promotion policies in hospice care”
  • White Rose Collaboration Fund 2020: “Measuring, evaluating and improving the quality of care for dying people and their families”
  • Research England QR GCRF 2019: “Telerehabilitation to improve the quality of life of individuals with long term disabilities in Nepal” (click for a video providing an overview of the project) 
  • University of Leeds Pump-priming for Interdisciplinary Research Initiatives 2019: “A user-centred approach to develop a new garment orthosis for improving movement in children with cerebral palsy”
  • Global Crucible 2019: “Developing a low-cost digital platform to improve Continuing Professional Development in rehabilitation for healthcare professionals in Madagascar”
  • IASP Developing Countries Project: Initiative for Improving Pain Education 2019: “Project OPUS – Online pain education for Nigerian medical undergraduate students"
  • Biomedical and Health Research Centre, University of Leeds 2012: "Evaluating the benefits of gamma knife surgery for patients with trigeminal neuralgia"

Previous public engagement activity as a contributor includes: 

Visiting scholars: 

  • Dr Sarute Chawvavanich, through the Prince Mahidol Award Youth (PMAY) Program scholarship 

Current postgraduate students: 

  • Will Goodman (with Rebecca Beeken and Amy Downing). Research title: Using advanced quantitative methods to explore physical activity and quality of life in patients with a stoma.
  • Emmanuel Leshak (with Bassey Ebenso and Cathy Brennan). Research title: Psychosocial impact of community-based management of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in Nigeria.
  • Eme Asuquo (with Kate Absolom and Bassey Ebenso). Research title: The provision of breast cancer survivorship care in sub-Saharan Africa. 
  • Jakki Birtwistle (with Amy Russell and Sam Relton). Research title: Technology-mediated approaches to advance care planning. 
  • Rebecca Day (DClin) (with Florien Boele and Charlotte Baker). Research title: What is it like to experience an online cognitive screen for people who have had a stroke?

Completed doctoral students: 

  • Asma Abahussin (PhD, 2021) (with Lucy Ziegler, Robert West, and David Wong). Research title: A health informatics approach for recording pain and supporting effective pain management in cancer patients. 
  • Hayley Scanlon (DClinPsy, 2021) (with Gary Latchford). Research title: Understanding hospice social workers’ experiences of their work with adults in the U.K. An interpretive phenomenological analysis. 
  • Rebecca Day (DClinPsy, 2023) (with Florien Boele and Charlotte Baker). Research title: Exploration of a stroke population's experiences of a digital cognitive assessment: a think-aloud and interview study

Qualifications

  • BSc Psychology
  • PhD Mechanical Design Engineering

Professional memberships

  • Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
  • Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol)

Student education

My current teaching roles include:

Research groups and institutes

  • Division of Primary Care, Palliative Care and Public Health
  • St Gemma's Academic Unit of Palliative Care
  • International health research
  • Palliative care
  • Research at the Nuffield Centre of International Health and Development
  • Cancer
  • Leeds Institute of Health Sciences

Current postgraduate researchers

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>