Dr Carolyn Blair
Dr Carolyn Blair is an experienced Research Fellow in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), working with Professor Joanne Reid and the International, Multidisciplinary Cachexia Team led by Professor Reid.
Relevant to multimodal interventions for cachexia management, Dr Blair’s PhD was focused on eating related difficulties and family dynamics. She has extensive experience of designing, delivering and evaluating psychosocial interventions and is a qualified fitness instructor specialising in resistance training.
Dr Blair has a strong background in Personal, Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) in research, and in collaboration with Professor Reid is currently organising PPIE activities to help develop psycho-social support for patients and their caregivers in relation to renal cachexia.
Dr Blair has completed Cochrane systematic review training and has published (inc. in press): 4 systematic reviews, 3 systematic scoping reviews, 4 mixed methods studies, 3 qualitative studies, 2 participatory research studies, 2 rapid evidence reviews, 1 protocol, and a cross-sectional study.
Dr Blair is the lead researcher on a phenomenological study exploring the experiences of individuals with renal cachexia and their caregivers, and the lead researcher on a QUB/Marie Curie project exploring loneliness in terminal illness. In collaboration with Professor Reid and the International Team, Dr Blair is currently leading a novel theory of change publication related to developing an evidence and theory based multimodal integrative intervention for the management of renal cachexia.
Dr Trisha Forbes
Since the completion of her undergraduate Psychology degree in 2004, Dr Trisha Forbes has gained extensive experience as a mixed-methods researcher.
While working in various fields as a Research Assistant, Dr Forbes completed an MPhil in 2009 and the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy accredited Certificate in Person-Centred Counselling in 2010.
Dr Forbes completed her PhD in the School of Education at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) in February 2018: this was a qualitative inquiry exploring young peoples’ perceptions of suicide in an area outside West Belfast, and their feelings of connectedness to the community.
More recently Dr Forbes has worked as the Post-Doctoral Research Fellow on various projects including:
- Adapting Digital Social Prescribing for Suicide Bereavement Support
- The iAmAWARE project about mental health in the workplace
- The PETT study, a pilot RCT of talking therapies for PTSD in military Veterans
- Carers-ID, focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on family carers of those with PMLD
Dr Forbes has recently joined the Renal Arts Group (RAG) and to begin work on the PAINT Project, an international mapping exercise of arts-based interventions for those with renal disease. Funded by NI Kidney Research Fund, Dr Forbes will be leading on this exercise in partnership with World Health Organization (WHO), UF Center for Arts in Medicine, Waterford Healing Arts Trust and Chong Hua Hospital, Philippines.
Dr Michael Toal
Dr Michael Toal is a Specialist Trainee in Renal Medicine and NIKRF Doctoral Fellow. Dr Toal started a PhD in Queen’s University of Belfast in August 2022.
This research project will investigate IgA Nephropathy, a leading cause of kidney failure, particularly in young people. Dr Toal is aiming to find new strategies to help to identify patients at the highest risk and allow for early treatment and prevention of disease progression. His previous projects have been presented across the UK, the Republic of Ireland and in the United States.
Dr Toal is also the team doctor for Transplant Sport NI and attended the British Transplant Games in Leeds with around thirty athletes from Northern Ireland in July 2022.
