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Dr Tom Sanders

Associate Professor

Department: Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing

I am a medical sociologist with interests in applied health research. My research has focused on the development, implementation and testing of healthcare interventions using a range of mixed design and qualitative methods. I joined Northumbria in September 2018 as Associate Professor of Applied Health Research. Prior to this I worked as a Senior Research Fellow in the Public Health Section of ScHARR at the University of Sheffield and in the Translating Knowledge to Action theme (CLAHRC Yorkshire and Humber). Prior to joining the University of Sheffield I was a Senior Research Fellow (Qualitative) at the ARUK Primary Care Centre, Keele University (2010-14) where I conducted studies investigating the implementation of new musculoskeletal care interventions, largely within large trials in primary care (STarT Back Tool). 

I am the Programme Lead for the BSc Health and Social Care and honorary senior research fellow at the School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield.

Medical Sociology

Understanding standardised tools and interventions and their adoption in healthcare

Normalisation Process Theory

Experiences of chronic illness (heart failure, type 1 diabetes, musculoskeletal pain, persistent and medically unexplained symptoms)

Healthcare communication in the consultation (heart failure, primary care, physiotherapy)

Development and testing of a Symptoms Clinic in Primary Care (MSS3 Trial - Funded by NIHR HS&DR)

  • Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
  • Diabetes, Sanders, T. 1 Mar 2023, The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Health, Illness, Behaviour and Society, Wiley
  • Changing healthcare professionals' non-reflective processes to improve the quality of care, Potthoff, S., Kwascinska, D., Avery, L., Finch, T., Gardner, B., Hankonen, N., Johnston, D., Johnston, M., Kok, G., Lally, P., Maniatopoulos, G., Marques, M., McCleary, N., Presseau, J., Rapley, T., Sanders, T., ten Hoor, G., Vale, L., Verplanken, B., Grimshaw, J. 1 Apr 2022, In: Social Science and Medicine
  • Improving knowledge mobilisation in healthcare: A qualitative exploration of creative co-design methods, Grindell, C., Sanders, T., Bec, R., Tod, A., Wolstenholme, D. 1 May 2022, In: Evidence and Policy
  • Integrating mental health care into home-based nursing services: A qualitative study utilising normalisation process theory, Ohlsen, S., Sanders, T., Connell, J., Wood, E. 1 May 2022, In: Journal of Clinical Nursing
  • Liver disease management as routine work in primary care? A qualitative interview study to guide implementation, Jarvis, H., Sanders, T., Hanratty, B. 1 Dec 2022, In: British Journal of General Practice (BJGP)
  • Study protocol for the Multiple Symptoms Study 3: a pragmatic, randomised controlled trial of a clinic for patients with persistent (medically unexplained) physical symptoms, Mooney, C., White, D., Dawson, J., Deary, V., Fryer, K., Greco, M., Horspool, M., Neilson, A., Rowlands, G., Sanders, T., Thomas, R., Thomas, S., Waheed, W., Burton, C. 15 Nov 2022, In: BMJ Open
  • What examples of best practice exist for the discharge of carers from hospital-to-home care within a year of leaving hospital?: A rapid review: PROSPERO 2022 CRD42022337444, Hogg, M., Hameed, R., van der Graff, P., Carr, S., Sanders, T., Potthoff, S., Jones, S., Aquino, R. 16 Jun 2022
  • Shortcuts in knowledge mobilization: An ethnographic study of advanced nurse practitioner discharge decision‐making in the emergency department, King, R., Sanders, T., Tod, A. 1 Jul 2021, In: Journal of Advanced Nursing
  • Asset-based approaches to promote health in place-based communities: when the context matters, Cassetti, V., Powell, K., Barnes, A., Sanders, T. 1 Sep 2020, In: The European Journal of Public Health
  • A systematic scoping review of asset-based approaches to promote health in communities: development of a framework, Cassetti, V., Powell, K., Barnes, A., Sanders, T. 1 Sep 2020, In: Global Health Promotion

Claire Leader A qualitative exploration of the experiences of leaders supporting the wellbeing of the Nursing and Midwifery workforce in NHS settings. Start Date: 01/03/2020

  • Health and Social Research PhD May 01 2000
  • Sociology MSc September 01 1993
  • Sociology BA (Hons) July 01 1992
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy FHEA 2019

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