Dr Rebecca Abbott

About me:

Rebecca is a Senior Research Fellow within the Evidence Synthesis Team (EST). The key remit of her post is to lead and support evidence synthesis and systematic reviews on a wide variety of topics being taken forward within the current PenARC.

As part of the EST, Rebecca is involved with:

• undertaking evidence synthesis research to address priority questions where primary research evidence exists; or through using evidence and local data to explore potential new ways of organising services (operations research)
• supporting applications for external funding to support new research to resolve PenARC's priority questions and to support the evaluation of implementation activities with the NHS, and
• developing capacity, through provision of clinics and workshops, for others to undertake evidence based research.

Many of the recent reviews of the EST have focussed on care home issues: mealtime interventions, the benefits of outdoor spaces for residents with dementia and the effectiveness of interventions to reduce anti-psychotic prescriptions to residents with dementia. Other reviews that Rebecca has led have included the effectiveness of mindfulness based interventions in people with vascular disease and the effectiveness of tnf-alpha inhiitor therapy in people with chronic disease. The team are currently involved in a number of reviews related to implementation and knowledge translation in care home and dementia related research.

Interests:

Evidence synthesis, including both systematic reviews and meta-analyses, of health services related research

Novel approaches to dissemination and implementation of systematic review findings to encourage greater usability of review findings

Teaching systematic review methods

Qualifications:

• 2000 PhD (Queensland University of Technology)
• 1985 BSc (Hons) Nutrition (Surrey)
• 1985 Diploma Dietetics (Surrey)

Career:

Rebecca started her career as a research dietitian at the Institite of Child Health in London. Her career meanderings led to roles as a trials co-ordinator for the MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, a physical activity research officer at the Cambridge Institute of Public Health, and a senior researcher and lecturer at the University of Queensland, Australia working with colleagues in occupational therapy, pedagogy, physiotherapy and public health on physical activity and health related research with children and young people and teaching undergraduate level courses related to ‘nutrition, physical activity and health’.