Research interests
I am a social scientist using theory-driven methods (in particular, Realist approaches) to conduct collaborative implementation research for intervention design and evaluation across health and social care, in particular palliative care.
Funded research projects:
2024-2028 Pearson, M., Murtagh, F., Johnson, M., Cohen, J., Huang, C., Taylor, P., Halliwell, J., O’Cathain, A., Roberts, H., May, P, Jackson, G., Agar, M. & Hosie, A. DAMPen-D II: Improving the Detection, Assessment, Management, and Prevention of Delirium in Palliative Care Units: a Cluster Randomised-Controlled Trial, Economic Analysis and Process Evaluation. NIHR Health & Social Care Delivery Research £2,504,125 (Co-Chief Investigator)
2024-2028 Pearson, M. & Needham, K., Murphy, R., Wood, J., Ling, R., Webb, R., Murtagh, F., Cook, J., Twiddy, M., Weatherly, H., Lorch, M. North Yorkshire Health Determinants Research Collaboration. NIHR Public Health Research. £5,050,482 (Co-Chief Investigator)
2024-2026 Sleeman, K., Murtagh, F., Higginson, I., Preston, N., Ziegler, L., Mitchell, S., Barclay, S., Cohen, J., Pearson, M., Kumar, R., Johnson, M. & May, P. NIHR Policy Research Unit for Palliative and End of Life Care. £2,999,938 (Co-Investigator)
2024-2026 Hutchinson, A., Crooks, M., Wright, C., Huang, C., Cohen, J., Pearson, M., Johnson, M., Hart, S. BREEZE 2: A randomised controlled trial of a complex intervention to manage breathlessness in pulmonary fibrosis. NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Award 206252 £499,973 (Co-Investigator)
2023-2024 Pearson, M., Swan, F., Hutchinson, A., Sartain, K. & Johnson, M. Living well with chronic breathlessness: Improving the sustained use of supported self-management strategies. NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Award 204312 £153,495 (Chief Investigator)
2023-2025 Crooks, M., Johnson, M., Swan, F., Hutchinson, A., Cohen, J., Huang, C., Pearson, M. & Wilkinson, A. Fan Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) for people living with COPD and high SABA intake (Fan FIRST). NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Award 204349 £249,404 (Co-Investigator)
2023-2024 Gridley, K., Wilberforce, M., Pearson, M., Clarke, C. & Creavin, S. Understanding the Role of 'Peer Tutors' in Post-Diagnostic Support for People with Dementia: A Realist Process Evaluation of the Good Life with Dementia Approach. NIHR School for Social Care Research £182,941 (Co-Investigator)
2022-2023 Johnson, M., Clark, J., Pearson, M., Spathis, A., Currow, D.C & Salins, N. BREATHE-INDIA: BREATHlEssness in INDIA - Development of a breathlessness beliefs and behaviour education intervention for use in the community-setting. MRC Public Health Intervention Development £109,723 (Co-Investigator)
2022-2024 Walker, E., Johnson, M., Wray, J., White, C., Bravington, A., Pearson, M., Taylor, P., Roberts, H., Manthorpe, J. & Hussain, J. Supporting, enabling and sustaining home care workers to deliver end-of-life care: a multiple-methods community-based case study. NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) £739,830 (Co-Investigator)
2022-2027 Klok, E., Noble, S., Soegard, M., Ording, A., Konstantinides, S., Teunissen, S., Mahe, I., Brun, M., Johnson, M., Murtagh, F., Maraveyas, A., Pearson, M., Hoffmann, I., Couffignal, C, Kruip, M. Towards cancer patient empowerment for optimal use of antithrombotic therapy at the end of life (SERENITY). EU-Horizon Europe €5,999,768 (Co-Investigator)
2022-2026 Forbes, C.. Johnson, M., Huang, C., Saxton, J., Cohen, J., Mitchell, E., Pearson, M., Twiddy, M., Lind, M., Young, R & Wilson, C. A phase II, randomised feasibility basket trial of a tailored, home-based exercise programme on disease-free survival among early stage high-risk recurring cancers in Yorkshire. Yorkshire Cancer Research £1,072,013 (Co-Investigator)
2022-2027 Spathis, A., Mant, J., Morris, S., Sutton, S., Booth, S., Lovick, R., Prevost, T., Higginson, I., Maddocks, M., Reilly, C., Armstrong, N., Evans, R., Farquhar, M., Pearson, M., Johnson, M. & Reeve, J. PrimaryBreathe: programme to develop and test a brief remote primary care intervention for chronic breathlessness. NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research £2,416,792 (Co-Investigator)
2022-2023 Forbes, C., Johnson, M., Huang, C., Swan, F., Cohen, J., Pearson, M., Twiddy, M., Lind, M., Rawstorn, N. & Maddison, R. Adapting a smartphone-based rehabilitation programme for older adults living with and beyond cancer: an intervention development study using Intervention Mapping. NIHR Research for Patient Benefit £149,315 (Co-Investigator)
2022-2023 Murtagh, F., Johnson, M., Pearson, M., Hussain, J., Cohen, J., Clegg, A., Fraser, L., Ziegler, L., Farrin, A., Spilsbury, K., O’Cathain, A. Addressing Inequalities Across All Ages: The Yorkshire & Humber Palliative Care Research Network. National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) £99,932 (Co-Investigator)
2022-2024 Carrieri, D & Mattick, K., Pearson, M., Papoutsi, C. & Wong, G. Care Under Pressure 3: Optimising the delivery and impacts of interventions to reduce hospital doctors’ mental ill-health in the NHS. NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Award 13/29/31 £569,919 (Co-Investigator)
2022-2023 Karkou, V., Kaehne, A., Omylinska-Thurston, J., Thurston, S. & Pearson, M. Arts for the Blues: Towards integrating the use of the arts in healthcare and cultural settings to tackle depression and improve wellbeing in the North West of England. UKRI Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) £143,329 (Co-Investigator)
2021-2024 Bravington, A., Johnson, M., Boland, J., Pearson, M., Patterson, M., Lind, M. & Murtagh, F. Improving shared decision-making in malignant bowel obstruction: An exploration of context-specific treatment pathways and experiences to inform intervention development for person-centred care. Yorkshire Cancer Research £210,071 (Co-Investigator)
2021-2022 Pearson, M., Johnson, M., Boland, J., Allgar, V., Siddiqi, N. ‘Improving the detection, assessment, management, and prevention of delirium in Specialist Palliative Care Units’ Yorkshire Cancer Research TRANSFORM endowment fund £98,649 (Co-Chief investigator)
2021-2022 Maben, J., Mannion, R., Jones, A., Westbrook, J., Pearson, M., Wright, J. & Abrams, R. ‘Identifying interventions to reduce healthcare staff unprofessional behaviours: a realist synthesis’ NIHR Health Services & Delivery Research (HSDR)13/16/06 £274,801 (Co-investigator)
2021 Johnson, M., Daniel, S., Salins,N., Clark, J., Pearson, M., Currow, D. ‘Improving Appropriate Access and Availability of Opioids for Cancer-related Pain Control in India : bridging the gap between policy and practice’ Research England Global Challenges Research Fund 2021 £25,370 (Co-investigator)
2020-2021 Crooks, M., Pearson, M., Cohen, J. ‘The Sentinel Project: Collaborating to improve asthma care’ AstraZeneca £55,147 (Co-investigator)
2019-2024 Johnson, M., Murtagh, F., Currow, D., Pearson, M. & Walker, E. ‘Building critical mass for palliative care research through collaborative support, exchange and challenge’ Research England International Investment Initiative (I3) £403,510 (Co-investigator)
2018-2022 Johnson, M., Fallon, M., Currow, D., Norrie, J., Hall, P., Seymour, J., Chaudhuri, N., Bajwah, S., Keen, J., Higginson, I., Buchanan, D., Hart, S., & Pearson, M. (2018) ‘A parallel-group, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial comparing the effectiveness and cost-consequence and cost-effectiveness of low dose oral modified release morphine (MRM) versus placebo on the intensity of worst breathlessness in people with chronic breathlessness’ - NIHR Health Technology Appraisal (HTA) Award 17/34/01 (£1,380,693) (Co-investigator)
2017-2019 Mattick, K., Pearson, M., Wong, G., Carrieri, D., Papoutsi, C., Briscoe, S. & Jackson, M. (2017) ‘Care under pressure: a realist review of interventions to tackle doctors’ mental ill-health and its impacts on the clinical workforce and patient care’ - NIHR Health Services & Delivery Research (HSDR) Award 16/53/12 (£201,827) (Co-Chief Investigator)
2017-2018 Turner, A., Pearson, M., Baxter, S., Bunn, F., Hanratty, B., Sheaff, R. & Wilson, P. (2017) ‘New Models of Care - Enhanced dissemination of findings from five NIHR HSDR-funded reviews’ - NIHR Health Services & Delivery Research (HSDR) (£27,224) (Co-investigator)
2016-2017 Sheaff, R., Pearson, M., Lloyd, H., & Byng, R. (2016) ‘From programme theory to logic models for Multi-specialty Community Providers: A realist evidence synthesis’ - NIHR Health Services & Delivery Research (HSDR) Award 15/77/34 (£168,170) (Co-Chief Investigator)
2016-2021 Ismail, K., MacArthur, C., Bick, D. Johnston, T., Roberts, T., Oborn, E., Pearson, M., Tincello, D., Davenport, C., Daniels, J., Dean, S., Hay-Smith, J., Hemming, K., Kidd-Chadwick, J., Bridges, N., & Coleman, T. (2015) ‘Antenatal Prophylactic Pelvic Floor Exercises and Localisation (APPEAL) Programme’ - NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research (£1,893,723 - Exeter components £305,487) (Co-investigator)
2015-2017 Boyd, K., Rappert, B., Farrimond, H., Pearson, M., Lang, I., Ralph, N., Poole, A. & Mellodew, K. (2015) ‘The Exeter Policing, Evidence and Research Translation (ExPERT) Project’ -College of Policing/ Higher Education Funding Council for England (£249,976) (Co-investigator)
2014-2016 Wong, G., Pearson, M., Mattick, K. & Brennan, N. (2014) ‘Interventions to improve antimicrobial prescribing in doctors in training: a realist review’ - NIHR Health Services & Delivery Research (HSDR) Award 13/97/24 (£187,540) (Co-investigator)
2011-2012 Pearson, M., Jones-Hughes, T., Peters, J. & Whear, R. (2011) Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) Systematic review - ‘Are interventions to reduce the impact of arsenic contamination of groundwater on human health and crop productivity in developing countries effective?’ Award 59617 (£37,236) (Chief Investigator)
2011-2012 Anderson, R., Pearson, M., Pawson, R., & Shepperd, S. (2011) NIHR Service Delivery & Organisation (SDO) ‘The effective and cost-effective use of intermediate, step-down, hospital at home and other forms of community care as an alternative to acute patient care: a realist review’ - Award 10/1012/07 (£101,079) (Co-investigator)