Lucy Hives

Lucy is a researcher in the School. She has worked on many different health-related research projects since she joined UCLan in May 2015. Her areas of expertise are participant recruitment and data collection, systematic review and scoping review methodologies, working with public involvement groups, research ethics, and assisting with applying for research grants.

Lucy has a dual role at the University. In June 2021, Lucy joined the School as a Research Associate, working with Prof Gill Thomson and Dr Nicola Crossland on the NIHR-funded ABA-Feed Study. ABA-Feed is a randomised controlled trial of an assets-based infant feeding peer support intervention for first-time mothers. Lucy then began her NIHR Pre-doctoral Fellowship in January 2023, which involves training in mixed methods research, and continuing her work on social media influencers and their impact on follower’s health and wellbeing. During her pre-doctoral fellowship, Lucy will also be putting together a Doctoral Research Fellowship application. Lucy is also involved in research investigating screening for neonatal jaundice in community settings, and in evaluating the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative. Lucy was also involved in the NIHR-funded REVERSE study with Dr Emma Bray, a feasibility study of blood pressure self-monitoring for people with prehypertension.

From November 2018-December 2022, Lucy worked as a Senior Research Assistant in the Research Facilitation and Delivery Unit (was Research Support Team). She also previously worked as a Research Assistant for over 2 years in the School of Medicine and Dentistry and for a year in the Allied Health Research Unit. Lucy completed her MSc in Health Psychology at UCLan in 2014.

Lucy's other roles at the university include Peer Reviewer for academic journals (the British Journal of General Practice, Research Ethics, JBI Evidence Synthesis and Food Science & Nutrition); and teaching and supervising and supervising Nursing and Midwifery Master’s students. Lucy was a member of UCLan’s Health Ethics Panel, as a reviewer and then Deputy Vice-Chair, from 2018-2024.

As well as her experience in health research, Lucy has supported many people with mental health conditions. Before joining UCLan, Lucy worked as a Healthcare Assistant in nursing homes, as an Assistant Psychologist within the Children’s Psychological Service at Royal Preston Hospital, and as a Voluntary Befriender for Lancashire County Council.

Lucy leads research in the area of social media influencers and their impact on follower’s health and wellbeing. She received her first lead applicant research grant in January 2022 from the UCLan's LIFE Research Institute, to conduct a scoping review of the area. As of January 2023, Lucy is a NIHR Pre-doctoral Fellow, and is continuing to develop her area of research particularly around the impacts of pregnancy and parenting social media influencers. Lucy has received public involvement funding from the Research Design Service North West (RDS-NW) and UCLan’s INTERRELATE Research Institute to co-design research in this area.

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Lucy is also currently involved in two externally funded research projects:
Lucy is also currently involved in two NIHR-funded studiesexternally funded research projects: Examining the benefits and implications of transcutaneous bilirubin (TCB) monitoring for neonates in the community to diagnose jaundice and reduce ethnic health inequalities (funded by NHS Race and Health Observatory)
ATTUNE Study: Assessing The evidence and impacT of the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly InitiativE (funded by UNICEF UK)
Previous projects that Lucy has been involved with, include:
The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Assets-based feeding help Before and After birth (ABA-feed) for improving breastfeeding initiation and continuation
Risk rEduction interVEntion for Raised blood pressure (REVERSE): A feasibility study of self-monitoring of blood pressure in pre-hypertension to reduce cardiovascular risk
Research and innovation to address Psychological and Emotional wellbeing after Acute Trauma (RePEAT)
Psychological, Emotional and psychosocial Aftercare following life-Changing Health events Pre-Hospital (PEACH Pre-Hospital)
Exploring Promotion of Oral care in Care Homes (EPOCH)
Exploration of the role of the professional Colleges in Videofluoroscopy (VFSS) training
Screening for aspiration risk associated with dysphagia in acute stroke. Cochrane Review
Health and wellbeing harms of interpersonal violence
Motherhood during the Covid-19 pandemic
Capturing Learning from the North West Coast Health System during COVID-19
Vision impairment and peer support
Fitting fathers and co-parents in (FFCpin)
Current practice survey for videofluoroscopy (DEBUT)
Systematic review of best practice guidelines for videofluoroscopy in the assessment of dysphagia (DEVINE)
Self-monitoring in the prevention of cardiovascular risk
Access to healthcare for people with autistic spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disabilities
Screening for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes in the dental setting
Priorities for oral health research in older adults
A new physical assessment technique for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME)
TIPPs: Targeted Interventions for Patellofemoral Pain

Successful lead applicant grants and awards:
INTERRELATE Institute Seedcorn funding. £1,718.08, 2024
RDS-NW Public Involvement Fund. £350, 2023
NIHR Pre-doctoral Fellowship round 4. £50,920, 2023
UCLan Research Institute For Global HEalth & Wellbeing (LIFE) Research Starter Award. Social Media influencers’ impact on health behaviours, health and wellbeing: a scoping review and public involvement activity. £4,978, 2022
Successful co-applicant grants:
UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative. Awarded for project entitled “ATTUNE Study: Assessing The evidence and impacT of the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly InitiativE”. £130,000, 2024.
Race and Health Observatory. Awarded for project entitled “Examining the benefits and implications of transcutaneous bilirubin (TCB) monitoring for neonates in the community to diagnose jaundice and reduce ethnic health inequalities”. £66,293, 2023.
UCLan Research Institute For Global HEalth & Wellbeing (LIFE) Research Starter Award. Awarded for project entitled “Psychological, Emotional and Psychosocial Aftercare following Life-Changing Health Events_Pre-Hospital (PEACH_Pre-Hospital)”. £3,500, 2021
UCLan Research Institute For Global HEalth & Wellbeing (LIFE) Writing Group Funding Competition Round 4. Awarded for project entitled “Research and innovation to address Psychological and Emotional wellbeing after Acute Trauma (RePEAT)”. £14,923.23, 2020
NIHR Research for Patient Benefit. Awarded for project titled “self-monitoring of blood pressure in pre-hypertension to reduce cardiovascular risk: a feasibility study”. £244,154, 2020
Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group Research Capability Funding 2019/20. Awarded for project titled: “DEBUT: Developing Evidence Based practice, Guidelines & Tools for Videofluoroscopy”. £20,937, 2019
The Oral and Dental Research Trust Oral Health Innovations PreVisor Award. Awarded for project titled: “Priorities for research on oral health in older adults: a collaborative partnership of ageing, dental and primary care specialties”. £5,000, 2018.

Bray, E., Hives, L., Spencer, J., Georgiou, R., Benedetto, V., Clegg, A., Rutter, P., Watkins, C., Williams, N. (2024, March 22). Fidelity to, and utility of, a home blood pressure self-monitoring regime in people with pre-hypertension: results from the REVERSE study [conference poster presentation]. British Journal of General Practice Research and Publishing Conference, London.
Hives, L. (2023, April 19-21). Seeking information about pregnancy and parenting from social media influencers: current evidence and debate [conference presentation and workshop]. Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit (MAINN). 11th International Conference, Grange-over-Sands.
Hives, L., Boland, P., Alvarez, C., Nowland, R., Harris, J., Harris, C., Bray, E., Olive, P., Brown, G., Feeley, A., Gregory, P. and Thomson, G. (2022, July 18-19). Health content from social media influencers and its impact on attitudes, health behaviours, and health and wellbeing of followers: a scoping review [conference presentation]. 12th International Conference on Social Media and Society, online.
6th International Health and Wellbeing with Real Impact Conference, 2020.
Research at UCLan Conference, 2020.
UCLan Faculty of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research Day, 2018.
The 9th Perrin Technique Conference, 2016.

Qualifications

Awards

Areas of interest and expertise