Dr Felix Gradinger

Researcher-in-Residence

The Researchers-in-Residence (RiR) role (Researchers in Residence - community and primary care - University of Plymouth) is an innovative approach to co-producing evaluation and research in Integrated Care Systems, and to facilitate service implementation and improvement (https://haln.org.uk/case-studies/researchers-in-residence). The model embeds the researchers into a host organisation (e.g. NHS providers and commissioners, Local Authority, VCSE), and aims to facilitate the translation of evidence into practice (where available) or develop the evidence base where this is weak or highly contextualised, and/or needs adapting to local context (https://www.scie.org.uk/integrated-care/workforce/role-multidisciplinary-team/webinar-2023-03). The approach is action-orientated and participatory, seeking to impact the development and implementation of service innovations and improvements in real time by working alongside front line teams, managers and service users (https://blogs.plymouth.ac.uk/communityandprimarycare/2023/02/27/from-torbay-to-singapore-international-impact-of-the-embedded-researcher-in-residence-model/). 

The two part-time Researchers-in-Residence, Dr Julian Elston and Dr Felix Gradinger, are part of the Community and Primary Care Research Group at the University of Plymouth, supported by Professor Sheena Asthana (Centre for Coastal Communities - University of Plymouth), and the Deputy Director of the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula (Pen ARC), Professor Richard Byng (https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/primarycare)

PhD in Public Health, Institute for Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany. 
MSc in Social and Cultural Theory, Sociology, University of Bristol. 
MA International Culture and Business Studies, University of Passau, Germany.

Co-authoring “Understanding transitional and intermediate care for older people: An International Delphi Study” submitted in Journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research; and Contributor to ADVANTAGE JAproject (“A comprehensive approach to promote a disability-free Advanced age in Europe: the ADVANTAGE Joint Action initiative”), co-funded by the European Union’s Health Programme

I take joy in developing myself by developing others and volunteer to mentor my peers informally wherever I can. 

For example, at Exeter University this included contributing to monthly Qualitative Research Advice Clinics for staff and students, teaching on the 'making sense of evidence' module to medical students, and the successful bidding for Researcher-led Initiative Awards 2014 teaching two workshops on qualitative interviewing and thematic analysis to service users and students. 

During my PhD and as a graduate teaching assistant I also delivered practice-based method seminars at both under- and post-graduate levels (Medical Sociology) at the University of Lucerne, Switzerland.

I have supervised 4 Master Students at the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice (CMRP) at Bangor University: https://www.bangor.ac.uk/mindfulness/postgraduate-courses/

Since 2018 and together with Prof Rob Anderson, I am also teaching on the Implementation Science Module on the MSc in Applied Health Services Research and the MSc in HealthCare Leadership and Management at the University of Exeter:

An efficient and versatile international health and social care services action researcher and educator: ►with a multidisciplinary background in the Humanities, Medical Sociology, Clinical Psychology and ► experience in clinical (sleep disorders, mental health) and non-clinical research (public health, systematic reviews, implementation science, public involvement) ► whose research is inspired by a bio-psycho-social model of health, and ► who has applied mainly qualitative but also mixed-/quantitative methods ► with a passion to make public involvement matter in research and service development.

July 2023 - Sept 2027 (0.6FTE) Senior Research Fellow - Researcher-in-Residence Plymouth City Council NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration.May 2022 - April 2024 (0.05FTE) Senior Research Fellow - Torbay New Hospital Programme/Building a Brighter Future (BBF); clinical pathway co-design for frailty/older people and orthopedics. 

May 2022 - April 2024 (0.1FTE) Research Fellow - Integrated Care System for Devon - One Devon Data Set: Population Health Management Evaluation and Research (PHEMER)

Dec 2021 - Nov 2024 (0.05FTE) Senior Research Fellow - NIHR Peninsula Adult Social Care Research Collaborative (PARC): Embedding research into practice to improve social care outcomes

July 2021 - March 2023 (0.2FTE) Research Fellow; Understanding high numbers of children in care inTorbay: An Engaged Approach to Supporting Families and Communities

Apr 2016 – Nov 2021 (0.7FTE) Research Fellow – Integrated Care Researcher in Residence, Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, based at Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust, working alongside public, commissioners and providers to support understanding about how Person Centred and Coordinated Care (PCCC) within Torbay and South Devon are operating; https://www.arc-swp.nihr.ac.uk/research/researcher-in-residence

Oct 2019 - August 2021 (0.05FTE) Senior Research Fellow (0.05FTE)- Devon Integrated Care System Social Prescribing Evaluation and Research (DESSPER); https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/primarycare/social-prescribing

January 2017-Dec 2017 (0.1FTE) Research Fellow; local site facilitation in South Devon and Torbay working as a co-applicant on an NIHR Programme Development Grant on ‘Education and facilitation to improve clinical decisions and multidisciplinary team-working with older adults with multimorbidity’; multisite study with Keele, Warwick, Birmingham.

Jan 2016-Mar 2016 
Research Fellow in Systematic Review, NIHR-funded ReGROUP project -The changing general practitioner workforce; conducting a systematic review describing factors influencing GPs decisions to quit patient care within the Evidence Synthesis & Modelling for Health Improvement (ESMI) group, University of Exeter Medical School. 

Nov 2013-Feb 2016 
Research Fellow, University of Exeter Medical School, Health Services Research, Evidence Synthesis & Modelling for Health Improvement. 
Named researcher on a mixed qualitative methods project entitled 'Accessibility and Implementation in UK services of an effective depression relapse prevention programme: Mindful-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)' (http://medicine.exeter.ac.uk/aspire/) 
Operational delivery of project milestones of two-phase project (interview survey of 40 NHS trusts; 10 ethnographic case studies).

Jan 2013-Oct 2013 
Associate Research Fellow, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Department of Psychology, Mood Disorders Centre, University of Exeter, UK, http://www.prevent-southwest.org.uk/ 
Trial researcher and coordination of eight qualitative work streams within the PREVENT clinical trial: ‘Preventing depressive relapse in NHS settings through mindfulness-based cognitive therapy’. 

Feb 2011-Dec 2012 
Research Fellow, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, Exeter University, United Kingdom 
MRC funded Evidence synthesis and literature review around impacts, values and normative debates within a Public Involvement Impact Assessment Framework (http://www.piiaf.org.uk/).

Dec 2006 – Dec 2010 
Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of LUCERNE, Switzerland 
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Sociology. Both undergraduate and postgraduate levels: developing mixed methods research projects in problem-based learning modules (www.unilu.ch) 

Dec 2006 – Dec 2010 
Project Leader, Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland (www.paranet.ch) 
WHO-Project: ‚Development of ICF Core Sets for Sleep’. Supervising and conducting four preliminary studies (Individual Interviews, Focus Groups, Expert Survey, Literature Review), in the development of a core data set of categories of WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) relevant to people with any kind of sleep disorder. (http://www.icf-core-sets.org/en/page1.php/en/page1.php)

►Current, successful submissions:

♦1st April 2024, Co-Applicant on NIHR Research for Social Care (RfSC): 'Understanding kinship carer networks to inform targeted support'

♦1st April 2022, Co-Applicant on Torbay Medical Research Fund (TMRF): ' Building a Brighter Future: the design and evaluation of evidence-based, co-produced integrated care pathways for (a) frailty/older people and (b) perioperative care/orthopaedics that are future-ready while addressing the pressures and problems of the present.' (£165,954)

♦1st April 2022, Co-Principal Investigator on Devon CCG/Integrated Care System, NIHR CRN SW Transforming Research Delivery (TRD): ' Population Health Management (PHM) Evaluation and Research (PHEMER)' 59,995 (CCG); £12k (CRN)

♦ 1st December 2021, Co-Applicant on NIHR HS&DR Researcher Led 20/137 Adult Social Care Invitation 2020: ' Peninsula Adult Social Care Research Collaborative (PARC): Embedding research into practice to improve social care outcomes' (£575,343)

♦20th January 2020, Co-Investigator on Torbay Medical Research Fund bid: ‘Understanding the high numbers of children in statutory care in Torbay: an engaged and embedded approach to supporting families and communities’ (£253,000).

♦2nd September 2019, Co-applicant on Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) bid: ‘Devon STP Social Prescribing Evaluation and Research’ (SCW/NHSSCWCSU/00001010/2017); South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit. (£99,998)

♦16th November 2018, Co-Principal Investigator on ‘Formative and Summative evaluation of telephone based health coaching for frequent attenders in A&E’, South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group (£30,162)

♦15th July 2018, Co-applicant on ‘Organisational integration and implementing new care models in South Devon and Torbay– A mixed methods case study using a researcher-in-residence model’; subsequent two-year extension from Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust,1 Apr 2019 -31 Mar 2021 (£149,360) 

►Past submissions (unsuccessful):

♦30th July 2019, Co-applicant on NIHR Public Health Resarch Call: 19/04 - Community Focused Approaches that Mobilise People as Assets: ‘What interventions work best to maximise the potential of people in building community, reducing health inequalities, and improving health?’ (£560,824)

♦22nd March 2019, Co-applicant with Healthwatch Torbay on Wellcome Public Engagement Fund on ‘Parallel Thoughts – Generations Apart: Cross-sector, Participatory, and Intergenerational engagement of teenage communities inTorbay’ (£95,731)

♦11th January 2019, Principal Investigator on Wellcome Trust Small Grant in Humanities and Social Science, “Embedded, co-produced research using the researcher-in-residence model in integrated care - International research impact, networking and agenda setting” (£15,834)

♦4th July 2018, Co-applicant on evidence synthesis under NIHR RfPB Social Care Call: ‘Social prescribing for adults with social care needs, a synthesis of existing evaluations in the South West’ (Tier 3: £150k).

♦30th May 2018, Principal Investigator on Wellcome Trust, ‘Research on Research’ Concept Note: ‘Increasing research capacity and improving services through hybrid roles in health and social care systems: an embedded, scoping study exploring mechanisms of impact’ (£239,803)

♦31st May 2018; Co-applicant on University of Plymouth Research Innovation & Impact Fund: Developing a ‘live’ system to improve patient experience of integrated health and social care services in Torbay and South Devon using the P3C-EQ (£44,260)

♦ 04th April 2018: Co-applicant on stage 2 NIHR Programme Development Grant submission (Phase 1 deadline Nov 2017) for full trial of a complex intervention: ‘Education and facilitation to improve clinical decisions and multidisciplinary team-working with older adults with multimorbidity’ (PI Richard Lilford; £3,218,227.49) 

♦ 22nd Nov 2017, PI Sheena Asthana – co-applicant on 2 year co-design project on healthy ageing and social prescribing, Public Health Research programme and NIHR Themed Call on: Complex Health and Care Needs in Older People

♦ 12 Septh 2017, PI Rod Sheaff – co-applicant on NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research Programme Reference: 17/52/25: ‘Knowledgable Implementation: an ‘Engaged Scholarship’ approach to developing implementation interventions to support adoption of new service models at scale’ (£569,692.00)

♦ Co-applicant on a bid to the NIHR Methodology Research Programme (submitted 19.01.17, worth £200.000), on ‘Mixed methods strategies for process evaluations of complex interventions’ with Exeter researchers from the HELP, STARS and PREVENT trials (PI-Morgan-Trimmer S, Abraham C, Smith J, Ford T, Hayes R, Hansford L, Wyatt K, Lloyd J). 

►Past submissions (successful):

♦ Named researcher to the ASPIRE Implementation Project (NIHR portfolio worth £451,837.65). 

♦PI on Researcher-led Initiative Awards 2014 (£1000) for two workshops on qualitative interviewing and thematic analysis 

Honours & Distinctions

First-authored article Integrating the voluntary sector in personalised care: mixed methods study of outcomes from wellbeing coordination for adults with complex needs, in the journal Journal of Integrated Care, awarded ‘Outstanding Paper’ in the 2021 Emerald Literati Awards. 

The 2021 Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, gained with a VCSE partner organisation ‘Volunteering in Health’

First-authored methods article on embedded research impactwas featured as a highly-cited ‘Editor’s Choice’ article

Finalist at 2018 Health Services Journal (HSJ) Awards, category: Community or Primary Care Services Redesign (London and the South); Torbay and South Devon

Foundation Trust – Integrating local health, social and voluntary care in South Devon 

BMC Runner-up prize for best oral presentation at inaugural, annual UK Implementation Science Conference 2018 

Oral Presentations:
♦ 1st Asia Pacific Social Prescribing Conference, Singapore, 29th-30th November 2022, https://www.singhealth.com.sg/sch/about-us/community-partnerships/pages/spcs2022-programme.aspx; Presentation: 'What is the Impact of Link Workers or Wellbeing Coordinators on Healthcare (Within an Integrated Care System in the UK'; and post-conference workshop on 'Social Prescribing Programme Evaluation'.

♦ Internal conference of another Singaporean provider, Central Health, attended by over 300 delegates, with the Coastal Multidisciplinary Team and Researchers in Residence giving keynote presentation, followed by Q&A on a Monday morning 21st November 2022; a video recording can be accessed here: https://live.motionmediaworks.com/video/chalk.

♦1st Annual ImplementationScience Research Conference; “Strengthening partnerships between researchers,health professionals and policy makers”; CLAHRC South London/King’s CollegeLondon, London, UK; Thursday 19 July 2018; 
Title: “Squaring thetranslational circle: co-producing knowledge for action using aresearcher-in-residence model “; FelixGradinger, Julian Elston, Sheena Asthana, Susan Martin, Richard Byng

♦1st International SocialPrescribing Network Research Conference, 14th June 2018, University of Salford, England: “The Challenges andOpportunities for Research in Social Prescribing”; Decision TBA 27.04.18;https://www.salfordcvs.co.uk/call-abstracts-1st-international-social-prescribing-network-research-conference
Title: “Impact ofWell-being Co-ordinators on health, well-being and service use and cost acrossan integrated health system in South Devon and Torbay“ Authors: Elston J,Gradinger F, Lilley-Woolnough C, Wroe S, Harman H, McDermott S

♦University of PlymouthClinical Schools 4th Annual Conference 16.05.18 – hosted at Horizon Centre TorbayHospital; https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/whats-on/celebrating-research-and-development-in-practice

♦The South West RegionalMeeting of the Society for Academic Primary Care , Plymouth 12/13th March 2018

♦ Primary Care Conference(2-3 November 2017)

♦2nd InternationalConference on Realist Evaluation and Synthesis; 02.-06.10.16, London; ‘Implementationand impact of an integrated care model: applying a realist evaluation frameworkin a researcher-in-residence model’

♦4th Annual Waypoint Research Conference 2016, Barrie, Canada, Implementing Evidence-Based Practice in Mental Health & Addictions, May 17-18, 2016'Implementing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT): A mixed qualitative study exploring evidence use from multiple stakeholder perspectives in forty NHS trusts in the UK'

♦All Wales Mindfulness Practitioner Conference, Gregynog, 11. 11. 14, Workshop: Mindfulness in the NHS in Wales with Jo Mussen, ASPIRE Preliminary Data Analysis: Familiarization Stage♦Primary Care Mental Heath Research Conference, Exeter, 21.03.14, ‘Feasibility Study and Study Protocol: Accessibility and implementation in UK services of an effective depression relapse prevention programme: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (ASPIRE)’♦ 3rd International Congress of the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM), 7-11.11.09, Sao Paulo, Brasil, Late breaking paper session: ‘ICF Core Sets for persons with sleep disorders: Results of the consensus process integrating evidence from preparatory studies.’ Posters: ♦ 24th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies APSS, 5-9..06.10, San Antonio, Texas: ‘ICF Core Sets for persons with sleep disorders: results from the May 2009 consensus conference’ ♦ Australasian Sleep Association and Australasian Sleep Technologies Association 21st Annual Scientific Meeting, 8–10.10.09, Melbourne, ‘Developing the ICF Core Sets for Sleep Disorders’ ♦ 9th World Congress on Sleep Apnea WCSA09, 25-28.03.09, Seoul, South Korea: ‘Use of ICF to describe patient-reported functioning in Sleep Related Breathing Disorders and identification of relevant environmental factors’ ♦ 19th Congress of the European Sleep Research Society ESRS, 9-13.09.08, Glasgow, Scotland: ‘Identifying the concepts contained in health status measures in sleep medicine practice and research using the ICF as a reference’ ♦ 5th Congress of the World Federation of Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine Societies (WFSRSMS), 2–6.09.07, Cairns, Australia: ‚Understanding Sleep in Spinal Cord Injury: A Literature Review’

Health Anchors Learning Network, The Health Foundation/NHS England, Torbay Case Study, Dec 2022; https://haln.org.uk/case-studies
Social Care Institute of Excellence (SCIE); 

Multidisciplinary teams: Integrating care in places and neighbourhoods; Best Practice Guidance update with Torbay Case Study, by Robin Miller Dec 2022
https://www.scie.org.uk/integrated-care/workforce/role-multidisciplinary-team