Maxine Whelan

After receiving a BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, Maxine stayed on to complete a PhD in physical activity and public health at Loughborough University. During the PhD write-up phase, Maxine began working as a postdoctoral researcher to conduct a process evaluation of Public Health England's Clinical Champions' Physical Activity Training Programme. This national training programme aimed to deliver training to healthcare professionals across England to promote the delivery of physical activity advice to patients during routine clinical interactions. Maxine then joined the University of Oxford's Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences to work on a project exploring the feasibility of a multi-component digital self-management tool to support patients with COPD hospitalised for an acute exacerbation. She also supervised undergraduate medicine students to develop and publish systematic reviews and meta-analyses around digital health technologies. Now within the Healthcare Technology and Innovation theme at the Centre for Intelligent Healthcare, Maxine's research interests focus on prompting positive behaviour change for health promotion and the use of digital health technologies in this area. Maxine also works closely with Coventry University colleagues in supporting Public Health Warwickshire in conducting pragmatic evaluation and evidence synthesis projects.

Digital health; prevention and management of long-term conditions; supported self-management; physical activity measurement; physical activity promotion; behaviour change; evaluation; public health; self-monitoring; feedback

To deliver meaningful research that positively impacts short and long-term health outcomes. Maxine aims to build on existing experience of working in a collaborative way, working with people from different backgrounds, including (but not limited to) healthcare professionals, psychologists, engineers and people with lived experience. She is keen to design and evaluate digital health interventions that align with real-world needs so that research can have a direct impact on clinical practice and public health.