Dr Melissa Girling

As a social scientist, my research is committed to developing and applying innovative research methods that produces knowledge about how health and social problems are understood in vulnerable populations. My research interests are informed by social science theory and are both academically focused as well as grounded in ‘real’ service development and innovation. 

Over the past 20 years I have been involved in a number of research and evaluation projects in the UK and New Zealand that have provided timely and on-going responses to mental health, at-risk youth, substance use, and criminal justice issues through developing and implementing monitoring and outcome measures, assessing the health and social impact of these issues on individuals and groups, and providing appropriate recommendations for positive outcomes. 

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• 'For Want of a Nail’: Developing a Transparent Approach to Retroduction and Early Initial Programme Theory Development in a Realist Evaluation of Community End of Life Care Services, McEwan, K., Girling, M., Bate, A., Atkinson, J., Clarke, A., Dalkin, S. 12 Mar 2023, In: International Journal of Social Research Methodology
• Experience-based co-design (EBCD) with young people who offend: Innovating methodology to reach marginalised groups, Girling, M., Le Couteur, A., Finch, T. 12 Jul 2022, In: PLoS One
• Translational framework for implementation evaluation and research: a normalisation process theory coding manual for qualitative research and instrument development, May, C., Albers, B., Bracher, M., Finch, T., Gilbert, A., Girling, M., Greenwood, K., MacFarlane, A., Mair, F., May, C., Murray, E., Potthoff, S., Rapley, T. Dec 2022, In: Implementation Science
• Translational framework for implementation evaluation and research: Protocol for a qualitative systematic review of studies informed by Normalization Process Theory (NPT): Protocol for a qualitative systematic review of studies informed by Normalization Process Theory (NPT) [version 1; peer review: 2 approved], May, C., Albers, B., Desveaux, L., Finch, T., Gilbert, A., Hillis, A., Girling, M., Kislov, R., MacFarlane, A., Mair, F., May, C., Murray, E., Potthoff, S., Rapley, T. 13 Jun 2022, In: NIHR open research
• Developing oral health risk assessment as routine practice during early stages of clinical careers: A cross‐sectional study of dental students using the NoMAD questionnaire, Cook, C., Finch, T., Sharma, S., Girling, M., Rapley, T., Vernazza, C. 1 Feb 2020, In: European Journal of Dental Education
• Codesigning health and other public services with vulnerable and disadvantaged populations: Insights from an international collaboration, Mulvale, G., Moll, S., Miatello, A., Robert, G., Larkin, M., Palmer, V., Powell, A., Gable, C., Girling, M. 1 Jun 2019, In: Health Expectations
• Improving the normalization of complex interventions: Part 2 - Validation of the NoMAD instrument for assessing implementation work based on Normalization Process Theory (NPT), Finch, T., Girling, M., May, C., Mair, F., Murray, E., Treweek, S., McColl, E., Steen, I., Cook, C., Vernazza, C., Mackintosh, N., Sharma, S., Barbery, G., Steele, J., Rapley, T. Dec 2018, In: BMC Medical Research Methodology
• Improving the normalization of complex interventions: Part 1 - Development of the NoMAD instrument for assessing implementation work based on normalization process theory (NPT), Rapley, T., Girling, M., Mair, F., Murray, E., Treweek, S., McColl, E., Steen, I., May, C., Finch, T. Dec 2018, In: BMC Medical Research Methodology
• Using Normalization Process Theory in feasibility studies and process evaluations of complex healthcare interventions: A systematic review, May, C., Cummings, A., Girling, M., Bracher, M., Mair, F., May, C., Murray, E., Myall, M., Rapley, T., Finch, T. Dec 2018, In: Implementation Science
• Improving the normalization of complex interventions: Measure development based on normalization process theory (NoMAD): Study protocol, Finch, T., Rapley, T., Girling, M., Mair, F., Murray, E., Treweek, S., McColl, E., Steen, I., May, C. 1 Dec 2013, In: Implementation Science

PhD March 20 2019