Professor Michael Ussher

Professor of Behavioural Medicine

Institute for Social Marketing University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Professor Michael Ussher

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About me

Michael Ussher is Professor of Behavioural Medicine at the University of Stirling. In addition, he is Professor of Behavioural Medicine at St George's, University of London, where he also holds the Hamid Ghodse Chair of Addiction. He shares his time between the University of Stirling and St George's. Michael is a behavioural scientist with a PhD in behavioural medicine and a background in health psychology. His research focuses principally on the design and evaluation of complex behavioural interventions for smoking cessation and physical activity promotion. His research includes randomised controlled trials of novel ways of helping smokers to quit, with a focus on women who smoke in pregnancy, and trials of physical activity interventions, especially for those who smoke or have mental health issues. He has broad experience of different research methods; besides running RCTs, this includes national surveys and cohort studies of smoking behaviour, systematic reviews, qualitative studies on the processes of smoking cessation and exercise adherence, theoretical modelling of behavioural interventions, and laboratory studies of interventions for managing cigarette withdrawal symptoms. Current funded studies Professor Ussher is leading or collaborating on include:

  • TARS RCT of physical activity assisted reduction of smoking.
  • ENRICH cluster RCT of peer support for discharge from inpatient to community mental health services.
  • MiQuit RCT of text-based support for smoking cessation in pregnancy.
    • CPITT trial of financial incentives for smoking cessation in pregnancy.
  • PREP trial of vaping for smoking cessation in pregnancy.
  • Qualitative study of factors influencing adherence among pregnant women attempting to stop smoking with the aid of vaping.
  • Maternal exposure to carcinogens, toxicants and nicotine among vapers, smokers and nicotine replacement therapy users during pregnancy.
  • FIPPS trial of financial incentives for preventing postpartum return to smoking.
    • NeSCi - development of a neonatal unit smoking cessation intervention
    • PRoGRAMME-A - developing a peer-led, social network intervention for preventing gambling related harm in adolescents
    • N-READY study of an adherence intervention for nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation in pregnancy
    • BabyBreathe RCT of a complex intervention to prevent return to smoking postpartum