Dr Grace McCutchan

(she/her)

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Research interests: 

• Identifying psychosocial barriers to cancer screening, prevention and early diagnosis
• Developing and testing behavioural interventions to encourage cancer early detection and prevention
• Reducing cancer inequality (e.g. socioeconomic inequality)

Methodological expertise: 

• Qualitative methods
• Development/evaluation of behaviour change interventions
• Systematic literature reviews

Current/recent PI grants: 

• Testing the acceptability and feasibility of delivering and evaluating the TIC-TOC campaign: a multi-faceted community based vague cancer symptom awareness campaign in an area of high socioeconomic deprivation. Cancer Research Wales. (co-PI, 2020-2023)
• Developing the Targeted Intensive Community-based campaign To Optimise Cancer awareness (TIC-TOC) campaign to support the Rapid Diagnostic Clinic pathway. Cwm Taf University Health Board commissioned research (co-PI, 2019).
• Future Leaders in Cancer Research. Cardiff University (PI, 2018)
• Development of a personalised intervention to support smoking cessation in a lung cancer screening setting. Cardiff University Bequest Fund (PI, 2016-2017)

Current/recent Co-Investigator grants: 

• Inclusive prehab (I-Prehab) to address inequity in cancer outcomes: mixed-methods evaluation research to enhance access, acceptance and adherence. NIHR-HSDR, £1,199,284 (2023-2026). Co-Investigator to advise on optimal methods for engaging underrepresented groups in research and cancer care interventions (PI: Prof Jane Hopkinson)
• The Yorkshire Enhanced Stop Smoking (YESS) trial: testing the effect of adding a personalised smoking cessation intervention to a lung cancer screening programme. Yorkshire Cancer Research (Co-Investigator, 2018-2023, PIs: Murray/Callister).
• Barriers and enablers to use of primary care remote consulting for suspected cancer symptoms. PhD studentship jointly funded by North West Cancer Research and Tenovus Cancer Care (Co-supervisor, PI: Hiscock; 2022-2025)
• Supporting implementation of NHS England’s Lung Health Check pilot programme - testing participant information materials to generate recommendations. CRUK Early Diagnosis Advisory Group – Commissioned Research call. (co-applicant, 2020, PI: Quaife)
• Readiness of lung cancer screening services to deliver concurrent smoking cessation treatment: Guideline and implementation toolkit development. CRUK's Tobacco Advisory Group (Co-Investigator, 2019-2020, PI: McWilliams).
• Pharmacy referral for lung symptoms. Health and Care Research Wales - Research for Patient and Public Benefit. (Co-investigator, 2017-2019).

Teaching

• Module lead for the Master's in Public Health - Global Health module 
• Module lead for the Master's in Public Health - Dissertation module 
• I am the MBBCh Student Selected Component Lead for the Division of Population Medicine 
• MBBCh Medical degree C21 curriculum delivery through Evidence-Based Medicine tutored sessions (‘Formulating the research question’; 2nd year medical students), the Student Selected Component (SSC) module (e.g. six-week practical research project experience), qualitative research methods sessions, review methods tutorials, and qualitative analysis software training (NViVO)
• Assesser of Intercalated BSc dissertations, Student Selected Component research projects (years 1-4) and Masters in Public Health dissertations, Cardiff University
• “Inequalities in cancer screening and early diagnosis” on the Intercalated BSc Rural Health module, Cardiff University
• Visiting lecturer “Systematic review methods” for Health Psychology MSc students, University of South Wales
• Visiting lecturer “Health Psychology” for Health Psychology MSc students, University of Wales Trinity St David’s
• Development of a transgender medical education e-learning module for MBBCh medical students

Biography

I developed an interest in cancer during my time working as an auxiliary nurse on a chemotherapy ward and oncology outpatient clinics. I then opted to complete a professional placement during my Psychology BSc working with a team of Clinical Psychologists providing psychological support to patients and families with cancer.

Academic employment history:

• Research Fellow for Wales Cancer Research Centre, Cardiff University School of Medicine (2022-pres) and Lecturer on the Master's in Public Health (2023-pres)
• Post-doctoral Research Associate for Wales Cancer Research Centre, Cardiff University School of Medicine (2017-2022)
• Post-doctoral Research Associate for the CRUK-funded Lung Symptom Awareness and Health (LUSH) study, Cardiff University, School of Medicine (2016-2017)

Qualifications:

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2022)
• Chartered Health Psychologist (2017)
• Tenovus Cancer Care-funded PhD (Health Psychology), Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK. Title: "Understanding the influences on cancer symptom presentation behaviour in the context of socioeconomic deprivation: development of a cancer awareness intervention" (2016)
• BSc Psychology with Professional placement (2013)
• Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2016)

Honours and awards

• Shortlisted for the Moondance Cancer Awards 'Patient & Public Participation & Involvement' award for the Lung Health Check Welsh pilot (shortlisted, but not awarded; 2024)  
• Cardiff University Celebrating Excellence Rising Star Award (finalist; 2019)
• Travel bursary to attend the Cancer Research UK bi-annual Early Diagnosis conference to present the findings from the LUSH study in the Spotlight on lung cancer session (2019)
• Winner of best poster at the Cancer Research UK Early diagnosis conference (2017)
• Winner of the ‘Having an impact’ category of the Health and Care Research Wales photography competition (2016)
• The Deans Prize for Excellence in Teaching (2015)
• Systematic review (McCutchan et al, 2015) ranked in the top 10 most influential articles of 2015 for BMC cancer

Professional memberships

• Fellow (FHEA) - Higher Education Academy
• Full member of the British Psychological Society
• Chartered Health Psychologist
• Member of the UK Society of Behavioural Medicine

Committees and reviewing

I am the Student Selected Component Lead for the Division of Population Medicine. I was formally the Early Career Researcher representative for the Division of Population Medicine. 

I am an active academic member of the Cwm Taf Reducing Cancer Inequalities Group, and my role on the NHS Wales Lung Health Check Clinical Steering Group was to provide behavioural science input to support the implementation of the first risk-stratified Lung Health Check pilot programme in Wales.

I have sat on various funding committees for national (e.g. CRUK; North West Cancer Research) and International (e.g. Irish Cancer Research and French National Cancer Institute). I regularly peer review for a wide range of scientific journals including Thorax, British Journal of General Practice, Psycho-Oncology, British Journal of Health Psychology and American Journal of Preventive Medicine. I peer review grant applications various funders, including Health and Care Research Wales and Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. 

I was a member of the UK Society of Behavioural Medicine Early Career Researcher Committee. As part of my role, I co-managed the social media page.

I was a member of the organising committee for two conferences: South West Academic Primary Care conference (Cardiff, 2016) and Cardiff University School of Medicine Postgraduate Research Day (Cardiff, 2014).

Supervisions

• MSc Public Health dissertation: "Access barriers to dental care among vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic" co-supervisor (2023)
• MSc Public Health dissertation: "Communication preferences for cervical cancer screening self-sampling among gender minorities" Lead-supervisor (2023)
• MSc Public Health dissertation: "Pilot study of lung cancer screening attitudes and awareness in Vietnam" Lead-supervisor (2023)
• 4th year SSC medical student project "Developing search terms for a review of interventions to facilitate participation in lung cancer screening ” Lead supervisor (2023)
• 3th year SSC medical student project "Grey literature searches to identify lung screening participation interventions” Lead supervisor (2023)
• PhD studentship: "Barriers and enablers to use of primary care remote consulting for suspected cancer symptoms" Co-supervisor (2022-2025)
• MSc Public Health dissertation: "Systematic review of interventions to identify and engage people in Lung Health Checks" Lead-supervisor (2022)
• Intercalated BSc medical student project: "Health service use for cancer symptoms and screening during the COVID-19 pandemic: a data linkage study" Co-supervisor (2022-2023)
• 4th year SSC medical student project: "Physical Health Promotion Interventions for People with Mental Illnesses: Scoping the Literature and Building a Search Strategy for a Scoping Review” Lead supervisor (2020)
• Intercalated BSc medical student project: “The influence of rural deprivation on public awareness, beliefs and help-seeking for cancer symptoms”. Co-supervisor (2019-2020)
• Two Postgraduate students based in Vanderbilt University (US) and Hanoi National University (Vietnam): "Meta-analysis of time to medical-help seeking for cancer symptoms in Lower and Lower-middle income countries. Co-supervisor (2019)
• Intercalated BSc medical student project: “How can we encourage people living in low- and middle-income countries to engage with early cancer detection?” Lead supervisor (2018-2019)
• Intercalated BSc medical student project: “Young adults’ perceptions and experiences of e-cigarette use: A meta-ethnography”. Co-supervisor (2018-2019). Awarded the Peter Ellwood Prize for best clinical epidemiology project
• 4th year SSC medical student project: “Patient-reported barriers to early cancer diagnosis in Lower and Lower-middle income countries: a systematic review”. Lead supervisor (2018)
• Intercalated BSc medical student project: “Understanding the social and contextual factors influencing lung cancer    presentation in deprived communities”. Lead supervisor (2017-2018). Won best presentation at the WISERD conference
• 4th year SSC medical student project: “Enhancing LGBTQ through medical education”. Co-supervisor (2017)
• 4th year SSC medical student project: “Bullying of Junior Doctors – A study of Prevalence, Perceptions, Awareness & Impact”. Co-supervisor (2017)
• 1st year SSC medical student literature review project: “How effective are cancer awareness campaigns at encouraging people to present early to their GP with symptoms?” Lead supervisor for five students (2017)

Engagement

Public involvement 

The value and importance of patient and public involvement (PPI) in research (involving lay members of public on research management groups) is reflected throughout my research, see https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/medicine/about-us/engagement/case-study-grace-mccutchan.

Through my role with Wales Cancer Research Centre, I have been working with PPI representatives to understand the barriers to involvement in research studies, and develop strategies to widen participation and tackle the issue of diversity in PPI.

Public Engagement

Equally, public engagement (to let patients and public know the results of studies) is important. I have delivered talks to various patient support groups, in charity shops, and at organised events e.g. Chapter Arts ‘At Public Uni’. I have been involved in a few science communication stalls at CRUK Open Days and with Tenovus Cancer Care at Greenman festival, see http://www.tenovuscancercare.org.uk/news/scientific-cellfie-success-at-green-man-festival/.