

Digital Health Research Theme
Our vision is to lead research in collaboration with engineering colleagues, commercial partners and citizens to create health technologies that are accessible for people using health services and their families; and demonstrate evidence of improvements in health, well-being and social care outcomes.
Research interests
Healthcare delivery in 2030 will be vastly different from today. People will be living longer, with multi-morbidity. Integrated care will be central to delivering complex care to this dynamic population and the social context of people’s lives remain the key determinant of how health services are planned and delivered.
Technological innovations will transform the way we diagnose, treat and manage disease. Delivering care closer to people’s homes will be the norm and hospital-based care will be for the seriously ill.
Our research focuses on creating and investigating on technological solutions to improve access and delivery of health care. We are interested in developing personalised models of care that will lead into delivery of patient centred care.
Research areas
- Internet of things and technology integrated health care system
- Remote monitoring and management of conditions
- Digital solutions (apps, wearables, monitors) for patients support
- Predictive risk modelling
- Digital access to primary/community care services (e.g. electronic medical records and e-consultations)
- Digital access and technology use by vulnerable and hard to reach groups.
Methodological expertise
- User-led co-design
- Behaviour change interventions
- Data mining
- Predictive risk modelling
- eHealth system development
- Evaluation and implementation
- Creating a living laboratory and simulated environments to provide test beds for new technology.
Research projects
- Remote Electronic Symptom Management system - eSMART [Jo Armes and Emma Ream]
- Development of an innovative health care system for palliative care in Ethiopia: Co-design and use testing of a mobile phone based remote monitoring system (E-PC) [Nicola Carey]
- Web-based self-management to reduce distress after prostate cancer [Sara Faithfull and Jane Cockle-Hearn]
- Developing and trialling a life-long approach to promote diabetes self-management amongst adults with type 1 diabetes-DAFNEplus [Debbie Cooke]
- The BEAT diabetes program - an online, supported self-management for adults with type 2 diabetes [Debbie Cooke]
- Data driven digital decision-making tool for pharmacists to provide a physical assessment and lifestyle prescription for men with prostate cancer [Agnieszka Lemanska]
- TIHM: Technology Integrated Health Management [Payam Barnaghi (PI, 5G Centre), Emma Ream and Rahim Tafazolli (from 5G Centre)]
- Randomised controlled trial to evaluate electronic symptom management using the Advanced Symptom Management System (ASyMS) Remote Technology for patients with cancers [Jo Armes (PI) and Emma Ream].
Collaborations
The digital health research grouping has a range of multidisciplinary collaborations with patient/public groups, academic organisations and health providers and networks across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, and industry both nationally and internationally. It also contributes to the digital innovation theme of the Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) for Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
Areas of interest for doctoral study
We welcome approaches from people wishing to undertake postgraduate research here with us.
We particularly welcome enquiries in the following areas:
- Remote monitoring and management of symptoms in cancer and other long-term conditions
- Predictive risk modelling
- Decision support systems for healthcare professionals
- Biosensing to support improved health outcomes for patients
- Online Access in primary care both in terms of patients’ access to medical records or online services, and use by healthcare professionals
- Digital systems/solutions to support student and staff mental health and wellbeing.
Please contact Freda Mold (freda.mold@surrey.ac.uk) and Jenny Harris (jen.harris@surrey.ac.uk), our postgraduate research directors, if you are considering postgraduate research.
Researchers
Research theme lead

Professor Jo Armes
Professor of Cancer Care and Lead for Digital Health
Research theme members

Dr Anand Ahankari
Lecturer in Maternal, Child and Family Health

Professor Elizabeth Barley
Professor of Mental Health Sciences and Nursing

Dr Alison Callwood
Senior Lecturer in Integrated Care (Midwifery)

Dr Theopisti Chrysanthaki
Lecturer in Integrated Care/ehealth

Jane Cockle Hearne
Research Fellow

Dr Debbie Cooke
Reader

Simon Downs
Paramedic Field Lead & Teaching Fellow in Integrated Care (Paramedic Practice)

Professor Sara Faithfull
Visiting Professor of Cancer Nursing Practice, Lead for Clinical Innovation

Professor Faith Gibson
Professor of Child Health and Cancer Care

Dr Nyangi Gityamwi
Research Fellow

Dr Jenny Harris
Lecturer in Cancer Care

Dr Athena Ip
Research Fellow

Dr Haomiao Jin
Lecturer in Health Data Sciences

Dr Agnieszka Lemanska
Senior Lecturer in Health Data Science

Dr Freda Elizabeth Mold
Senior Lecturer in Integrated Care

Professor Caroline Nicholson
Professor of Palliative Care and Ageing

Professor Emma Ream
Professor, Director of Health Sciences Research

Yvonne Smyth
Postgraduate Research Student (PhD)

Professor Cath Taylor
Professor of Healthcare Workforce Organisation and Wellbeing

Dr Clive Tobutt
Teaching Fellow in Integrated Care (Mental Health Nursing)