Staff Profile

I am a qualitative health services researcher with a focus on inequalities across the cancer pathway, including screening, delays to diagnosis, treatment decision-making, and communication. My PhD explored the routes to and experiences of diagnosis for head and neck cancer, combining analysis of routine NHS data with qualitative interviews to understand how socio-demographic factors and health literacy shape help-seeking and referral pathways. My current research spans several cancer types, including lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers, and involves qualitative, participatory, and co-design approaches to improve experiences of care. I hold an undergraduate degree in Psychology and an MSc in Health Psychology. Alongside my research, I teach qualitative research methods at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, supervise Master's students, and contribute to methodological leadership at Newcastle University through chairing the Faculty of Medical Sciences Qualitative Special Interest Group

• Articles

  • Menger F, Deane J, Patterson JM, Fisher P, O'Hara J, Sharp L. “After the horrible cancer…” Post-traumatic growth through the lens of head and neck cancer survivors. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research and Practice 2025, 7(1), e158.
  • Pearce H, Hamilton D, Sharp L, Deane J, Kennedy M, O'Hara J. Routes to diagnosis of hypopharyngeal cancer: A single-centre experience. Clinical Otolaryngology 2024, 49(4), 495-499.
  • Watson L-J, Sharp L, Patterson JM, Fisher P, O'Hara J, Deane J, Menger F. People, places, systems and society:A qualitative exploration of socio-cultural factors in head and neck cancer survivorship. European Journal of Oncology Nursing 2024, 72, 102682.
  • Dobson CM, Deane J, Osborne B, Araujo-Soares V, Rees CJ, Angell L, Sharp L. ‘I Do It All Alone’: The Burdens and Benefits of Being Diagnosed With, and Treated for, Colorectal Cancer During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Health Expectations 2024, 27(3), e14110.
  • Neilson LJ, Fitzgerald RC, Deane J, Debiram-Beecham I, Gulle H, Rees C, Sharp L. Patient experiences of Cytosponge: A qualitative study. Frontline Gastroenterology 2023, 15(1), 28-34.
  • Dobson C, Deane J, Macdonald S, Murchie P, Ellwood C, Angell L, Rubin G. Barriers to Early Presentation amongst Rural Residents Experiencing Symptoms of Colorectal Cancer: A Qualitative Interview Study. Cancers 2023, 15(1), 274.
  • Sharp L, Mentor K, Deane J, Watson E, Roberts KJ, Silva M, Phillips M, Siriwardena AK, Hammond J, Bradshaw A, Exley C, Pandanaboyana S. Assessing impact, needs and quality-of-life among informal carers of people with pancreatic cancer, a prospective study: the PAN-CARER study protocol. BMJ open 2023, 13(5), e068178.
  • Deane J, Norris RP, O'Hara J, Patterson J, Sharp L. Who Presents Where? A Population-Based Analysis of Socio-Demographic Inequalities in Head and Neck Cancer Patients’ Referral Routes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16723.
  • Menger F, Deane J, Patterson JM, Fisher P, O'Hara J, Sharp L. The nature and content of rumination for head and neck cancer survivors. Frontiers in Psychology 2022, 13, 995187.

• Letters

  • Bradley P, Deane J, Hara JO, Kennedy M, Carrard VC, Cheong SC, Sharp L. Teledentistry may help in detecting oral cancers in current GP and dentist shortages. BMJ 2024, 384.
  • Neilson LJ, Fitzgerald RC, Deane J, Debiram-Beecham I, Sharp L, Rees CJ. Measuring patient experience of Cytosponge using the Newcastle ENDOPREM. Frontline Gastroenterology 2023, 14(4), 355-356.

• Working Paper

  • Menger F, Balla M, Patterson JM, Fisher P, O'Hara J, Deane J, Watson LJ, Sharp L. "I said… I was having a bit of treatment on my neck". Experiences of self-disclosure among survivors of head and neck cancer. 2025, 1-17.