Kirsty Laing
National Institute for Health Research Training Fellow

Background

I am dedicated to a career in research.

Immediately after successfully completing an MSc in Epidemiology I moved to the University of Manchester to work on a HTA funded project analysing hearing screening in school age children in the UK. By working on a national research project I was able to underpin my theoretical knowledge and gain extensive practical research and project management experience. This project initiated my interest in research that can impact upon NHS service provision for children and mothers. I then proactively sought a position at the Institute of Health and Society with the aim of developing doctoral level work in a thriving public health research environment.

I am a holder of a National Institute of Health Research Researcher Training Fellowship which is enabling me to undertake a PhD qualitatively assessing the attitudes of pregnant women to alcohol consumption. I aim to use the findings of this work to develop an appropriate and acceptable intervention to facilitate alcohol related harm reduction in pregnant women and thus help to improve NHS antenatal care provision for women in the UK.

My supervisors are Professor Eileen Kaner, Dr Judith Rankin and Professor Carl May. My fellowship is enabling me to undertake a training programme in qualitative methodologies which is of invaluable benefit for both my doctoral work and future research work.

Roles and Responsibilities

Postgraduate Representative for the Institute of Health and Society.
Co-ordinator of the Postgraduate Support Group.

Qualifications

BSc Hons Medical Microbiology, Edinburgh University
MSc Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Previous Positions

2006- 2007: Junior Research Associate, Newcastle University
2004- 2006: Research Assistant, The University of Manchester

Informal Interests

Running (slowly!)and reading

Research Interests

My research interests span two areas, maternal / perinatal health and substance use.

Current Work

1) Understanding women’s perspectives on alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy: towards the design of a health promoting intervention for primary care’

I have been awarded National Institute of Health Research Training Fellowship to undertake a qualitative PhD. This work seeks to understand women's attitudes to non- problematic alcohol use during pregnancy. This research complies with the preclinical phase of the MRC Framework for Design and Evaluation of Complex Interventions.

2) A prospective cohort study of pregnant substance users attending specialist services: outcomes and implications for practice and future research’.

I am also working on a project concerning drug and problematic alcohol misuse during pregnancy. The aim of this project is to assess women's views of specialist antenatal care. Also, to attempt to understand which factors in mother's lives are associated with remaining as the primary care giver of her child at 6 months postpartum.

Future Research

I aim to utilise the findings of my doctoral work to design an intervention to help reduce alcohol-related risk which is specific to pregnant women in the UK and that is acceptable for this client group.

I am also interested in parenting interventions with substance using mothers. I am working with teams in Keele and Leeds to develop further work in this area.

Funding

NIHR Research Training Fellowship, £190,725 (2008).
Bristow K, Kaner E, Rankin J, May C. Understanding women’s perspectives on alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy: towards the design of a health promoting intervention for primary care’

MRC Studentship, £16,500 (2003).
Competitive award to complete MSc in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Undergraduate Teaching

I tutor stage 1 and stage 2 undergraduate medical students within the Medicine in the Community course.

Postgraduate Teaching

I teach on the Project Management module of the MSc Health Sciences.