Profile
Biography
Elena is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Health Services Research specialising in applied mental health research using mixed methods. She has a particular interest in developing and testing complex interventions.
Much of Elena’s research to date has focused on tobacco smoking and mental health. She was centrally involved in the development of NICE guidances and Royal College of Physicians reports in this area. She leads the Tobacco and Mental Health research theme and chairs the University’s interdisciplinary Tobacco Research Group.
More recently, Elena has also been developing a research portfolio in the area of Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) and is the HAI research theme lead for this topic. Read her BMJ editorial on Animal-Assisted Interventions.
Before joining the Mental Health and Addictions Research Group in York in 2016, Elena obtained her PhD and held a lectureship at the University of Nottingham (UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies).
Qualifications
- PhD (2010), University of Nottingham
- MPH (2007), University of Nottingham
- BA(hons) & MA (2004), University of Passau (Germany)
Research
Overview
Elena is an applied health researcher with expertise in using mixed methods and a special interest in the development and evaluation of complex interventions. Much of her research has been focussed on tobacco smoking and severe mental illness (especially inpatient settings), but she has also been involved in research related to smoking in other vulnerable groups, such as the homeless, prisoners, and looked-after children in residential care. Other interests related to tobacco research include electronic cigarettes, harm reduction and relapse prevention; holistic approaches towards treating multiple addictions and towards addressing poor physical health in people with mental disorder; and strategies to address health inequalities in vulnerable groups.
Elena is developing a research portfolio related to Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) and health in a variety of populations across the human life span and is collaborating with a wide variety of national and international academic and non-academic organisations in this context.
Selected Projects
Tobacco
Elena is PI to the NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Health Research (PGfAR): Promoting Smoking CEssation and PrevenTing RElapse in people with mental illness after a smokefree mental health inpatient stay (SCEPTRE). She co-leads the Yorkshire Cancer Research-funded ESCAPE trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of providing e-cigarettes as adjunct care to people with mental illness.
Human-Animal Interaction (HAI)
Elena is developing a portfolio of interdisciplinary research projects on HAIs in health and social care with a wide range of collaborators. She has led the INTACT study during Covid and is now working on a project focusing on the use of animal-assisted and robotic pet interventions for people with dementia. Please check the HAI website regularly for project updates, and follow us on twitter @HumanAnimalYork
Research group(s)
Supervision
Elena will be very happy to discuss potential for supervision in any area related to her research interests.
