Dr Kim Smallman
(she/her)

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

: Available for postgraduate supervision

I am a qualitative researcher for the Brain Health and Mental Wellbeing Division at the Centre for Trials Research. I have a background in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Youth and Community work, Adult Community Education and Public Engagement.

Since transitioning to research, I have been involved in the design and evaluation of complex interventions in areas of adolescent drug prevention, mental health, cancer, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. My focus of research currently is in the application of Virtual and Extended Reality within healthcare and medicine.

I sit on the Science Hub Wales Special Interst Group for Virtual Reality and am a member of FutureNHS, a platform for research within XR and forum aimed at developing best practice in the development, design and implementation of XR in health.

Reviewer for the NIHR, BMJ and Pilot and Feasibility Studies.

Member of the European Huntington’s Disease Network.

As a qualitative methodologist, I am intersted in the design of critical qualitative inquiry and the use of creative and visual methodologies in health research.

Date
Type

My main interests include the development and co-production of interventions for mental health and well-being, with a particular focus on XR and digitial innovations. I currently hold funding for research examining how virtual reality can be used to facilitate recovery and rehabilitation of patients following a stay in ICU and resarch into how music and articifical intelligence can be used to personalise a VR theraputic to reduce symptoms of anxiety and build mental resilience.

I am also interested in advanced therapies for neurodegenerative diseases and the impact on participants taking part in trials of new and advanced therapies. This work includes the design and analysis of qualitative data and methods for capturing and reporting participant voices in novel neurosurgical trials.

Grants won

NIHR HTA Programme 2024 - 2027 (co-applicant) Examining antibiotics for ulcerated skin cancer surgical excision £1,460,582.18
Innovate UK Mindset extended realtuy (XR) for digital mental health: strand 2. VR-MELODY Utilising music and AI to advance DR.VR and co-create a personalised VR solution to reduce anxiety and build mental resilience in adults (CI) £249, 874
Cardiff University On-campus internship funding 200-hour student placement 2022/23 (lead supervisor). Exploring recovery and rehabilitation journeys of patients following a stay in an intensive care unit
Michael J Fox Foundation 2022 (co-applicant) LEARN-ATMP – using the patient voice to develop a framework for accessible ATMP trials £237,458
HCRW RfPPB 2022/24 (Co-CI) Virtual Reality to facilitate recovery and rehabilitation of patients following a stay in intensive care VR-READY £215,120
Cure Parkinson’s (Co-applicant) Listening to the Experience of pARticipants in Neurosurgical trials (LEARN) -TransEUro £52,974
Cardiff University Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (CUROP) (Co-supervisor) 2021: summer bursary for an undergraduate research placement Frank Friends
ISSF3 Wellcome Trust Public Engagement Co-production Award (Co-applicant) ‘Get cre-active – using the creative arts to explore challenges to physical activity for people with hip dysplasia’. £14,825
ISSF3 Wellcome Trust Proof-of concept award 2018 (PI) The Pelican Project: Pupil perceptions of clinical trials and research into health and well-being £3,776.15
NIHR 17/97 PHR (Co-applicant) Fast-track researcher-led November 2018 A multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a school-based peer-led drug prevention intervention (The FRANK friends study) £1,465,055.20
Cardiff University Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (CUROP) (Co-supervisor) 2015: summer bursary for an undergraduate research placement Assist+Frank
Tenovus Innovation Grant (TIG2010-30) (Co-PI) 2010: Feasibility and acceptability of talking to school children about cancer and genetics. Let’s talk about genes, and I don’t mean trousers: encouraging cancer genetics literacy amongst children

Research outputs

o Randell, E., Nollett, C., Henley, J. et al. Watch Me Play!: protocol for a feasibility study of a remotely delivered intervention to promote mental health resilience for children (ages 0–8) across UK early years and children’s services. Pilot Feasibility Stud 10, 55 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-024-01491-7Smallman K, Lynch C, Drew CJ, and Gill S. (2024) “We hear you!” The Potential of Brokered Dialogue and Deliberative Elicitation Methods in the Co-Production of Complex Health Interventions. International Congress on Qualitative Inquiry

Smallman K, Prout H, Moss K, Smith J, Rance M, Riches S, Enoch S, Moore R. (2024) Where Words Fail, Music Speaks! The Melody of Collaborative Research in Innovation. International Congress on Qualitative Inquiry

Smallman K, Drew CJ, Lynch C, and Gill S. (2024) “We hear you!” The Potential of Brokered Dialogue and Deliberative Elicitation Methods in the Co-Production of Complex Health Interventions

Smallman K, Drew CJ, Biju A, Lynch C, and Gill S. (2024) VR-READY: Qualitative co-production and intervention development. World Conference on Qualitative Research.

Simon, N., et al. (2023) The acceptability of a guided internet-based truama-focused self-help programme (Spring) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) European Journal of Psychotraumatology

Bisson, J. I., Ariti, C., Cullen, K., Kitchiner, N., Lewis, C., Roberts, N. P., ... & Williams-Thomas, R. (2022). Guided, internet based, cognitive behavioural therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder: pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled non-inferiority trial (RAPID). bmj, 377. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2021-069405

Smallman, K., Drew, C., & Lane, E. Silent Voices, Hidden Narratives: Designing Qualitative Health Research in Novel Neurosurgical Trials, 18th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, 18-22nd May, 2022.

Elizabeth Randell, Bethan Pell, Gwenllian Moody, Calie Dyer, Kim Smallman, Kerenza Hood, James White, Tim Aubry, Dennis Culhane, Susannah Hume, Faye Greaves, Guillermo Rodriguez-Guzman, Ligia Teixeira, Victoria Mousteri, Nick Spyropoulos, Rebecca Cannings-John & Peter Mackie.Moving on trial: protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial of models of housing and support to reduce risks of COVID-19 infection and homelessness. Pilot Feasibility Stud 8, 23 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-022-00984-7

Drew, C. J., Sharouf, F., Randell, E., Brookes-Howell, L., Smallman, K., Sewell, B., ... & Rosser, A. (2021). Protocol for an open label: Phase I trial within a cohort of foetal cell transplants in people with Huntington’s disease. Brain Communications, 3(1), fcaa230[KS1].

Drew, C. J., Sharouf, F., Randell, E., Brookes-Howell, L., Smallman, K., Sewell, B., ... & Rosser, A. (2021). J02 Trident: investigating the safety and feasibility of fetal cell transplants in huntingtons disease.

Case contributor (18th May 2021) Value of XR in Healthcare in the United Kingdom (xrhealthuk.org)

Smallman, K. (2021) Qualitative findings from the RAPID trial, National Centre for Mental Health, dissemination of results, 24th

Smallman, K. (2021) Qualitative findings from the RAPID trial, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, 37th Annual Conference, 3rd

Simon, N., Ploszajski, M., Lewis, C., Smallman, K., Roberts, N.P., Kitchiner, N.J., Brookes‐Howell, L. and Bisson, J.I. (2021), Internet‐based psychological therapies: A qualitative study of National Health Service commissioners and managers views. Psychol Psychother Theory Res Pract. https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12341[KS2]

Smallman K, and Smalley M. 2020. A Brief Evaluation of DR.VR™ Frontline Relief

Gill, P.et al. 2018. Participants' experiences of ketamine bladder syndrome: A qualitative study. International Journal of Urological Nursing 12(2-3), pp. 76-83. (10.1111/ijun.12167[KS3])

Smallman, K. et al. 2018. What is MIST made of? Understanding and describing the Multi-disciplinary Intervention Service Torfaen from the perspective of the team, the carers, the young people and their families

Nollett, C.et al. 2018 Pragmatic RAndomised controlled trial of a trauma-focused guided self-help Programme versus InDividual trauma- focused cognitive Behavioural therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (RAPID): trial protocol. BMC Psychiatry 18(77) pp.1-14. (https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1665-3[KS4])

White, J.et al. 2017. Adaptation of the ASSIST peer-led smoking intervention to deliver information from the Talk to FRANK drug education website (ASSIST+FRANK): a pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial. The Lancet 390(S3), pp. S1. (10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32936-7)

White, J.et al. 2017. Adapting the ASSIST model of informal peer-led intervention delivery to the Talk to FRANK drug prevention programme in UK secondary schools (ASSIST?+FRANK): intervention development, refinement and a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial. Public Health Research 5(7), pp. 1-126. (10.3310/phr05070[KS5])

Hawkins, J.et al. 2017. Development of a framework for the co-production and prototyping of public health interventions. BMC Public Health 17(1), article number: 689. (10.1186/s12889-017-4695-8[KS6])

Iredale, R., & Madden, K. (2014). Let’s talk about genes, and I dont mean trousers: encouraging cancer genetics literacy amongst children. ecancermedicalscience, 8[KS7].

Yu, J., Taverner, N., & Madden, K. (2011). Young people’s views on sharing health‐related stories on the Internet. Health & Social Care in the Community, 19(3), 326-334[KS8].

Iredale, R., Madden, K., Taverner, N., Yu, J., & McDonald, K. (2010). The GAMY Project: young people’s attitudes to genetics in the South Wales valleys. The HUGO Journal, 4, 49-60[KS9].

I have contributed to teaching DClinPsy and marking of medical student year 3 intercaluated degree research papers.

I have expereince in teaching counselling skills and theory and qualitative research and methodologies within further, higher and adult community education. I have designed and delivered bespoke training in qualitative research methods and analysis for diverse groups including academics, NHS and social care staff.

I am currently providing disseration supervision for the Genomic and Genetic Counselling MSc

I am avaiable for supervision of Masters and PhD students.

Work history

Present: Research Associate, Qualitative Research, Brain Health and Mental Well-Being Division, Centre for Trials Research, Cardiff University

2016 - 2023: Research Design and Conduct Service Consultant and Research Associate, Brain Health and Mental Well-Being Division, Centre for Trials Research, Cardiff University

2014 - 2016: Trial Manager and Qualitative Research Associate, Centre for Trials Research, Cardiff University

2008 - 2014: Research Assistant, Faculty of Health Science, University of South Wales/University of Glamorgan

Background

I have a background in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and have worked as a youth and community worker within south Wales. I have expereince in community regeneration and adult community education and undertook a PhD examining policy, practice and provision in adult community education and male non-participation.

My first academic post was with the University of Glamorgan as part of the Genomics Policy Unit. (2008 - 2014). Here I worked on a number of public engagement projects and began developing an interest in the application of creative and visual methodologies in health research. GENEticS Let's talk about genes and I don't mean trousers

I joined the Centre for Trials Research in 2014 as a Trial Manager and Research Associate working on ASSIST+Frank, a pilot and feasibility study. I then went on to join the RDCS South East Wales as a consultant and continued to undertake qualitative research within different teams.

I am co-lead on VR-MELDOY a 2-year funded study through Innovate UK Mindset Extended Reality (XR) for digital mental health. The primary aim of this project is to co-create a personalised VR solution for people experiencing symptoms of anxiety and build mental resilience; the focus of which is to explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and music can be used to personalise experiences and increase user engagement.

I am Co-CI on VR-READY a 2-year funded study through Health and Care Research Wales and collaboration with NHS clinical staff and industry. We are exploring how virtual reality can be used in the recovery and rehabilitation of patients following a stay in ICU.