Staff Profile

I am member of the Population Health Sciences Institute and work within the Applied Cancer Therapeutics and Outcomes research theme. I am also part of Newcastle University's Centre for Cancer. I am researcher and a Chartered Health Psychologist (registered with the British Psychological Society and the Health and Care Professions Council)   with a particular interest in improving the health of  survivors of childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer.

Qualifications

2019-2025 Staff PhD by Publication (Exploring and developing interventions to promote, improve and sustain self-management and positive health behaviours in childhood cancer survivors)

2017 Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology (Stage 2 training)

2008 MSc Health Psychology (Stage 1 training - Distinction) 

2005 BSc (Hons) Psychology (First class)

2000 M.A. Applied Social Sciences (management, economics, history, economic & social history) 

Memberships

Chartered member of the British Psychological Society, Division of Health Psychology (www.bps.org.uk)

Registered Health Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (www.hcpc-uk.co.uk)

Member of the Pan-European Network for Care of Survivors after Childhood and Adolescent Cancer (PanCare: http://www.pancare.eu/en/)

Associate member of the Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG: http://www.cclg.org.uk/)

Member of Teenagers and Young Adults with Cancer (TYAC: http://www.tyac.org.uk)

Ambassador for Youth Cancer Europe (http://www.youthcancereurope.org/)

Main research interests

• Psycho-oncology
• Perceptions and experiences of health, illness and treatment
• Health behaviours and health behaviour change in cancer survivors
• The identification of psychological and behavioural factors which contribute to physical illness
• Qualitative methods

I have experience of qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods research and systematic reviews.

Current research projects

• Using qualitative and co-design methods to inform the development of an evidence-based and theory-informed intervention for the promotion of physical activity in childhood and adolescent cancer survivors. Funded by Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group. BEing Active after ChildhOod caNcer (BEACON)

• Developing a supportive care needs assessment tool for cancer patients receiving targeted therapies. Funded by MacMillan Cancer Charity. TARGET

• Investigating the facilitators and barriers to self-management in childhood and adolescent cancer survivors to gain a greater understanding of their views and experiences of looking after their health. Funded by Newcastle Healthcare Charity.

• Contributing to the development of a lifestyle intervention for a large EU project which is looking at how to best deliver survivorship care for childhood and adolescent cancer survivors in Europe. Funded by Horizon 2020. 

• Conducting a feasibility study in partnership with 5 other universities in England to examine the use of public bus stops for educating people about physical activity and cancer prevention, and promoting physical activity at bus stops through the use of innovative and interactive product design. Funded by CRUK.

Past projects

• PanCare childhood and adolescent cancer survivor care and follow-up studies (2012-2017).
• Psychosocial health outcomes after childhood cancer (2014-2016).
• Quality of life, socio-economic status, relationships and risk perceptions in survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer (2012-2013).
• Women's perceptions of future risk following pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia (2011-2012).
• Cardiovascular disease risk in women with pre-eclampsia: systematic review and meta-analysis (2010-2012). 
• European bone tumour outcome study: overview of health-related quality of life in 700 European bone tumour survivors (2009-2010).

Successful research grants

• NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (co-PI): Formative research to inform the development of a smoking cessation intervention for childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (2021);  £149, 805
• Newcastle Healthcare Charity (co-applicant): Cardiovascular late-effects after treatment for childhood cancer: the risk perceptions and health beliefs of survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (2021); £31, 983
• Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group (co-applicant): Promoting physical activity in childhood cancer survivors: using qualitative and co-design methods to inform the development of an evidence-based intervention (2018); £73,923
• Cancer Research UK Cancer Prevention Innovation Grant (co-applicant): "The Waiting Games" (2017); £20,000
• North East Children’s Cancer Research Fund (co-applicant): "Epidemiological and Health Services Research in Childhood Cancer and Leukaemia" (2017); £406,817
• Newcastle Healthcare Charity (co-applicant): "Facilitators and barriers to self-management in childhood and adolescent cancer survivors: a qualitative study" (2016); £42,570
• Children with Cancer (co-applicant): "Psychosocial health outcomes after childhood cancer - pathways from initial survival to long-term survivorship" (2013); £43,523
• Newcastle Healthcare Charity (co-applicant): "Quality of life, socio-economic status, relationships and risk perceptions in survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer: a pilot study"  (2011); £38,434

Oral presentations

International:

• A systematic review of the perceived barriers and facilitators to physical activity in childhood cancer survivors at the 22nd World Congress of Psycho-Oncology, virtual conference (2021).
• What are the barriers and facilitators to physical activity participation among childhood cancer survivors? Findings from qualitative interviews at the 22nd World Congress of Psycho-Oncology, virtual conference (2021).
• Parental views of the barriers and facilitators too physical activity in childhood cancer survivors: a qualitative interview study at the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, virtual conference (2021).
• Identifying strategies that childhood cancer survivors use to self-manage their health and wellbeing at the European Health Psychology Society conference, Dubrovnik (2019).
• Social outcomes in young adult survivors of childhood cancer at the 19th World Congress of Psycho-Oncology, Berlin (2017).
• Lifestyle behaviours in young adult survivors of childhood cancer at the 19th World Congress of Psycho-Oncology, Berlin (2017).
• Exploring psychological, social and behavioural outcomes in young adult survivors of cancer at the 19th PanCare meeting, Lund (2017).
• Developing and piloting questionnaires to facilitate holistic psychosocial assessment of childhood cancer survivors attending long-term follow-up at the 15th PanCare meeting, Dublin (2015).
• Update in the guidelines work in PanCareSurFup (Invited Speaker) at the European Symposium on Late Complications after Childhood Cancer, Edinburgh (2014).
• Long-term psychosocial outcomes after childhood cancer at the 12^th PanCare meeting, Amsterdam (2013).
• Survey of Guidelines for Long-Term Follow-Up of Survivors of Childhood and Adolescent Cancer in Europe at the 11^th PanCare meeting, Genoa (2013).

National:

• The long-term psychosocial impact of cancer - the views of young adult survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer at the British Psychosocial Oncology Society conference, Leeds (2015).
• European bone tumour outcome Study (EBTOS): overview of health related quality of life in study cohort at the British Sarcoma Group conference, Gateshead (2011).

Poster presentations

• Developing and piloting a questionnaire to investigate important psychosocial outcomes in survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer at the British Psychosocial Oncology Society conference, Leeds (2015)
• The long-term psychosocial impact of cancer - the views of young adult survivors of childhood cancer at the European Symposium on Late Complications after Childhood Cancer, Edinburgh (2014)
• Psychosocial functioning of childhood cancer survivors attending a long-term follow-up clinic at the European Symposium on Late Complications after Childhood Cancer, Edinburgh (2014)
• The long-term psychosocial impact of cancer - the views of young adult survivors of childhood cancer at the Division of Health Psychology Annual Conference, York (2014)
• Survey of Guidelines for Long-term follow-up of survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer in Europe at the 13^th International Conference on Long-Term Complications of Treatment of Childhood  and Adolescent Cancer, Memphis (2013)
• Development of a clinical tool to assess psychosocial functioning of childhood cancer survivors at long-term follow-up at the NHS Therapies conference, Newcastle (2013)
• European Bone Tumour Outcome Study (EBTOS): overview of health related quality of life (QOL) in study cohort at the IEA World Congress of Epidemiology, Edinburgh (2011)

Supervision

• Co-supervise Cancer MRes dissertations of intercalating MBBS students
• Co-supervise Epidemiology MRes dissertations
• Co-supervise Psychology MSc dissertations
• Co-supervise Psychology BSc dissertations

• Brown MC, Podmore M, Araujo-Soares V, Skinner R, Sharp L. Childhood cancer survivors’ perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to physical activity: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative evidence using the theoretical domains framework. Health Psychology Review 2022, Epub ahead of print.
• Orange ST, Hallsworth K, Brown MC, Reeves HL. The feasibility and acceptability of a home-based, virtual exercise intervention for older patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: protocol for a non-randomised feasibility study (TELEX-Liver Cancer). Pilot And Feasibility Studies 2022, 8, 113.
• Orange ST, Gilbert SE, Brown MC, Saxton JM. Recall, perceptions and determinants of receiving physical activity advice amongst cancer survivors: a mixed‑methods survey. Supportive Care in Cancer 2021, ePub ahead of print.
• Brown MC, Araujo-Soares V, Skinner R, Glaser A, Sarwar N, Saxton JM, Montague K, Hall J, Burns O, Sharp L. Using qualitative and co-design methods to inform the development of an intervention to support and improve physical activity in childhood cancer survivors: a study protocol for BEing Active after ChildhOod caNcer (BEACON). BMJ Open 2020, 10(12), e041073.
• Brown MC, Haste A, Araujo-Soares V, Skinner R, Sharp L. Identifying and exploring the self-management strategies used by childhood cancer survivors. Journal of Cancer Survivorship 2021, 15, 344-357.
• Brown MC, Sharp L, Sniehotta FF, Skinner R, Araujo-Soares V. The development of health behaviour change interventions for childhood cancer survivors: The need for a behavioural science approach. Pediatric Blood and Cancer 2020, 67(9), e28500.
• van Kalsbeek RJ, Mulder RL, Haupt R, Muraca M, Hjorth L, Follin C, Kepak T, Kepakova K, Uyttebroeck A, Mangelschots M, Falck Winther J, Loonen JJ, Michel G, Bardi E, Elmerdahl Frederiksen L, den Hartogh J, Mader L, Roser K, Schneider C, Brown MC, Brunhofer M, Gottgens I, Hermens RPMG, Kienesberger A, Korevaar JC, Skinner R, van der Pal HJH, Kremer LCM. The PanCareFollowUp Care Intervention: A European harmonised approach to person-centred guideline-based survivorship care after childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer. European Journal of Cancer 2022, 162, 34-44.
• Michel G, Mulder RL, van der Pal HJH, Skinner R, Bardi E, Brown MC, Vetsch J, Frey E, Windsor R, Kremer LCM, Levitt G. Evidence-based recommendations for the organization of long-term follow-up care for childhood and adolescent cancer survivors: a report from the PanCareSurFup Guidelines Working Group. Journal of Cancer Survivorship 2019, 13, 759-772.
• Byrne J, Alessi D, Allodji RS, Bagnasco F, Bardi E, Bautz A, Bright CJ, Brown M, Diallo I, Feijen EAML, Fidler MM, Frey E, Garwicz S, Grabow D, Gudmundsdottir T, Hagberg O, Harila-Saari A, Hau EM, Haupt R, Hawkins MM, Jakab Z, Jankovic M, Kaatsch P, Kaiser M, Kremer LCM, Kuehni CE, Kuonen R, Ladenstein R, Lahteenmaki PM, Levitt G, Linge H, LLanas D, Michel G, Morsellino V, Mulder RL, Reulen RC, Ronckers CM, Sacerdote C, Skinner R, Steliarova-Foucher E, van der Pal HJ, de Vathaire F, Vu Bezin G, Wesenberg F, Wiebe T, Winter DL, Falck Winther J, Witthoff E, Zadravec Zaletel L, Hjorth L. The PanCareSurFup consortium: research and guidelines to improve lives for survivors of childhood cancer. European Journal of Cancer 2018, 103, 238-248.
• Devine KA, Christen S, Mulder RL, Brown MC, Ingerski LM, Mader L, Potter EJ, Sleurs C, Viola AS, Waern S, Constine LS, Hudson MM, Kremer LCM, Skinner R, Michel G, Gilleland Marchak J, Schulte FSM. Recommendations for the surveillance of education and employment outcomes in survivors of childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer: A report from the International Late Effects of Childhood Cancer Guideline Harmonization Group. Cancer 2022, Epub ahead of print.
• Sturgess B, Brown M, Fraser F, Bailey S. “They've got a lot of needs and I don't think they're being met fully”: A qualitative study of the multi‐professional team approach to the management of children with optic pathway gliomas. Pediatric Blood and Cancer 2018, 65(12), e27377.
• Skinner R, Mulder RL, Kremer LC, Hudson MM, Constine LS, Bardi E, Boekhout A, Borgmann-Staudt A, Brown MC, Cohn R, Dirksen U, Giwercman A, Ishiguro H, Jahnukainen K, Kenney LB, Loonen JJ, Meacham L, Neggers S, Nussey S, Petersen C, Shnorhavorian M, van den Heuvel-Eibrink MM, van Santen HM, Wallace WHB, Green DM. Recommendations for gonadotoxicity surveillance in male childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors: a report from the International Late Effects of Childhood Cancer Guideline Harmonization Group in collaboration with the PanCareSurFup Consortium. The Lancet Oncology 2017, 18(2), e75-e90.
• Mulder RL, van der Pal HJH, Levitt GA, Skinner R, Kremer LCM, Brown MC, Bardi E, Windsor R, Michel G, Frey E. Transition guidelines: An important step in the future care for childhood cancer survivors. A comprehensive definition as groundwork. European Journal of Cancer 2016, 54, 64-68.
• Brown MC, Pearce MS, Bailey S, Skinner R. The long-term psychosocial impact of cancer: the views of young adult survivors of childhood cancer. European Journal of Cancer Care 2016, 25(3), 428-439.
• Tresman R, Brown M, Fraser F, Skinner R, Bailey S. A School Passport as Part of a Protocol to Assist Educational Reintegration After Medulloblastoma Treatment in Childhood. Pediatric Blood & Cancer 2016, 63(9), 1636-1642.
• Mayes J, Brown MC, Davies N, Skinner R. Health promotion and information provision during long-term follow-up for childhood cancer survivors: a service evaluation. Pediatric Hematology and Oncology 2016, 33(6), 359-370.
• Brown MC, Levitt GA, Frey E, Bárdi E, Haupt R, Hjorth L, Kremer L, Kuehni CE, Lettner C, Mulder RL, Michel G, Skinner R. The views of European clinicians on guidelines for long-term follow-up of childhood cancer survivors. Pediatric Blood & Cancer 2015, 62(2), 322–328.
• Brown MC, Bell R, Collins C, Waring G, Robson SC, Waugh J, Finch T. Women's perception of future risk following pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. Hypertension in Pregnancy 2013, 32(1), 60-73.
• Brown MC, Best KE, Pearce MS, Waugh J, Robson SC, Bell R. Cardiovascular disease risk in women with pre-eclampsia: systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Epidemiology 2013, 28(1), 1-19.
• Woolfson RC, Heffernan E, Paul M, Brown M. Young people’s views of the Child Protection System in Scotland. British Journal of Social Work 2010, 40(7), 2069-2085.
• van Kalsbeek RJ, Van der Pal HJH, Hjorth L, Winther JF, Michel G, Haupt R, Uyttebroeck A, O'Brien K, Kepakova K, Follin C, Muraca M, Kepak T, Araujo-Soares V, Bardi E, Blondeel A, Bouwman E, Brown MC, Frederiksen LE, Essiaf S, Hermens RPMG, Kienesberger A, Korevaar JC, Mader L, Mangelschots M, Mulder RL, Rijken M, Roser K, Skinner R, Pluijm SMF, Kremer LCM, Van den Oever SR, Van den Oever SR, Eriksson L, Relander T, Engellau J, Fjorden K, Bogefors K, Holmqvist ASF, Nicolas B, Bagnasco F, Benvenuto M, Aulicino A, Laudisi L, Hrstkova H, Bajciova V, Holikova M, Strublova L, Renard M, Jacobs S, Segers H, Van Helvoirt M, Winther JF, Frederiksen LE, Andersen EAW, Boes S, Loonen J, Loonen J, Hermens R, Gottgens I, Stollman I, Penson A, Skinner R, Sciberras W, Korevaar J, Den Hartogh J, Gsell H, Schneider C, Hartogh JD, Te Dorsthorst J. The European multistakeholder PanCareFollowUp project: novel, person-centred survivorship care to improve care quality, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and accessibility for cancer survivors and caregivers. European Journal of Cancer 2021, 153, 74-85.