Research Interests

My research pertains to the Psychology of medical decision making and public health risk literacy. Using mixed-methods designs, I study perceptions of risks and uncertainty underlying medical treatment choices. For example, I have investigated doctors’ antibiotic prescribing choices and medical advice giving through interviews with frontline hospital staff in different countries. I am currently involved in an NIHR-funded project on decision-making pertaining to blood sampling and antibiotic stewardship in hospitals.

Another interest of mine pertains to health risk communication about antibiotic resistance and how this contributes to behaviour change. This has included investigations into the importance of developing impactful disease terminology and designing effective public health information. It also includes an ongoing ESRC-funded project on the use of metaphors to communicate risk information about antimicrobial resistance.

Recently, I have also become interested in researchers' decision making about the use of antibodies in biomedical research. I am a Co-Lead of the Only Good Antibodies Forum, which aims to promote the use of appropriate antibodies and encourage better science.

A final area of my work is concerned with understanding core principles underlying more general decision making, cooperation and defection. I study this by modelling human choices in experimental games. Following research visits to Germany, Japan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Sweden and due to my personal interests in foreign languages and cultures a part of my work also focuses on cross-cultural differences. I use both qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis in my research.

Scientific Inspiration

Wandi Bruine de Bruin – I admire her ability to apply theory to urgent real-world problems. I also like her approachable personality.