Professor Ashley Shepherd

Professor

Health Sciences Stirling Stirling,

Professor Ashley Shepherd

Contact details

About me

Follow @ashepherdqi // // ]]> Research My research areas are largely around the topics of continence care (specifically urinary catheters). I am also interested in nursing innovation and quality improvement.

I am Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport. I take a lead in contributing to the Faculty's strategic direction and to the achievement of its strategic objectives. I lead and oversee processes associated with workload planning and ensuring the effective use of resources.

Recently Funded Key Research Studies

"CAELUS 2.Evaluating The Use Of Drones Within Medical Logistics: A Patient-focused Qualitative Evaluation". Co-applicant. Jan 2024 - July 2024 NHS Grampian £50,000.

"Multicentre trial of the clinical and cost effectiveness of a novel urinary catheter design in reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infection compared with the traditional Foley design for adults requiring long-term catheterisation (CADET)." Co-applicant . Jun 2021 - Jun 2024 NIHR (£1.3M)   "Feasibility and acceptability study for a randomised controlled trial of urinary catheter washout solutions to prevent blockage in long-term catheter users".  Principal Investigator. Jan 17 - Jun 17.  CSO (£19,000). 

"Champions in Scotland: How role models can accrue employability benefits through role modelling", Co-applicant Mar 16 - Feb 17 Collaborative bid with School of Sport [£6,000]. Winning Scotland Foundation Research Grant.

 "The Well!Bingo programme: A feasibility study of a physical activity intervention delivered to older women in a Bingo club setting", Co-Applicant Jan 15 - Jan 16 A follow-up study from the 2012/13 CSO funded project to recruit and run physical activity classes in the bingo setting [£109,524]. 

"Evaluation of University of Stirling Quality Improvement Practicum", Co-Applicant Apr 14 - Nov 14 Stirling Enhancement of Learning Fund part funded this evaluative study of the Quality improvement practicum [£1,000]. 

"Raising awareness of sensory impairment with nurses working in the community", Co-Applicant May 13 - May 14. This QNIS study follows from previous evaluative work of the Western Isles Sensory centre and is a collaboration with community nurses.

 "Community-based health improvement for disadvantaged women: could a physical activity / healthy eating intervention be delivered in Bingo clubs in Scotland?", Co-Applicant Sept 12 - Dec 13. This CSO funded project comprises a scoping review/evidence synthesis to identify potentially effective interventions for socially-disadvantaged women

"Leading Better Care' in the Community", Co-applicant, Jan 12 - Jan 13. This study aims to explore how Community Senior Charge Nurses implement the objectives of ‘Leading Better Care' 

"Evaluation of the impact of sight and hearing support services in the Western Isles", Co-applicant Feb 11 - May 12. This study aims to evaluate the sight and hearing services offered to patients in the Western Isles. 

"Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) in the Intensive Care Unit: A Case Note Comparison", Joint Principal Investigator Jan 11 - Mar 11. A case control study to explore possible reasons for recent VAP cases in a Scottish Hospital. This study was conducted in collaboration with clinical staff and has recently been published. 

"The Experience of Senior Charge Nurses and Midwives in relation to the implementation of Leading Better Care", Co-applicant Nov 10 - Apr 11 This study investigated the experiences of senior charge nurses and midwives in relation to the implementation of leading better care and evaluated their views about impacts on patient care, themselves and colleagues. I presented the findings of this study to the RCN International Research Conference, April 2012. 

"A Community Survey of Environmental Hazards and Human Reproduction", Principal InvestigatorJun 10- Dec 10. This large survey was conducted in Queensland Australia to examine the associations between knowledge of environmental hazards on human reproduction with gender, socio-economic status and age.

"Health Professionals Exercise Recommendations", Co-applicant May 10-Nov 10. This study examined the impact of health professional's advice to patients to undertake physical exercise. 

"An Exercise Intervention in Pregnancy", Principal Investigator Mar 10- Sep 10. Paths to Health Charity. I set up a midwifery-led walking group for pregnant women living in an economically deprived area. The key aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of led-walking groups as a means to health improvement for this group. Further funding was awarded by the Research and Enterprise Support Fund to employ a Research Fellow to evaluate the walking groups. 

Conference Presentations  British Congress of Optometry & Vision Sciences, 1995; Bradford, UK Association for Research in Vision & Ophthalmology, 1996; Fort Lauderdale, USA Child Vision Research Society, 1997; Pisa, Italy Scottish Society for Experimental Medicine, 1998; Glasgow, UK Early Origins of Health and Disease, 1998; Glasgow, UK British Society of Gastroenterology, 1999; Glasgow, UK The Society for Applied Microbiology, 2000, Glasgow, UK Scottish NHS Research Day, 2000, Stirling, UK International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision, 2001, Montreal Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, 2001, Fort Lauderdale, USA Transforming Health Care through Research, 2003, Dublin European Meeting of the International Society for Neonatal Screening, 2005, Paris - Invited Speaker Scottish Newborn Screening Conference, 2005, Edinburgh - Invited Speaker London & Home Counties Newborn Blood Spot Screening Conference, 2007, London - Invited Speaker Midwifery Conference, 2009, Stirling Royal Infirmary, UK - Invited Speaker Normal Birth Conference, 2010, Vancouver, Canada - Presented by 2nd author Royal College of Nursing International Research Conference, 2010, Newcastle, UK Alliance for Self Care, 2011, Dundee, UK - PhD student presentation Scottish Patient Safety Fellows Conference, 2011, Dunblane, UK - Invited Speaker Integrating Person Centeredness, Patient Safety and Clinical Effectiveness into the Curriculum, 2011, Glasgow, UK - Invited Speaker Motivating, Enabling and Prompting Behaviour Change for Health, 2011, Stirling, UK Royal College of Nursing International Research Conference, 2012, London, UK Quality and Care, 2012, University of West of Scotland, UK Enter Conference, 2012, University of Stirling, UK

Research programmes

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