IHW and Mental Health and Wellbeing's Katie Robb reflects on the impact of the pandemic on the cancer screening research she leads, and moving her focus to meeting the challenge of COVID-19 

Photo of Katie RobbHow has my research been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic?

Here are a few reflections:

  • ‘Cancer screening paused’ was the headline on the 30 March 2020 which drew a halt to our 40,000-participant bowel screening trial. We have been preparing for the Chief Scientist Office and Cancer Research funded trial since 2016, but it will have to wait.
  • Sadly, other research cannot wait and so much of my time recently, like many colleagues, has been focused on working with students to rapidly revise their research plans in response to the COVID-19 crisis. I have also been feeling grateful for the research completed before the crisis such as the co-design workshop LKAS PhD Student, Lauren Gatting, ran on developing lung screening information materials with members of a community group in Possil. A study that would be impossible to run now, and for the foreseeable future.
  • As a researcher who has spent almost my entire career focused on the prevention and earlier diagnosis of cancer, I wasn’t initially sure if I could contribute to the challenge of COVID-19. However, when I saw that the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) Rapid Research in COVID-19 funding call included understanding the longer-term health impacts of social distancing I felt this was something important that I could help with. Fortunately, we were successful in obtaining funding as part of the University of Glasgow CSO COVID-19 research portfolio. This 6-month study aims to understand the nature of the impact of social distancing on Scottish people by: 
    • identifying the key health and mental health concerns and;
    • examining how people’s experiences change over the first 4-months of social distancing.
  • We will interview the same 30 adults in May and July 2020 from a purposive sample of a newly established UK nationally representative general population survey of the impact of COVID-19 being led by the University of Glasgow (UK COVID-MH study; PI: Rory O’Connor). A key strength is that the survey will inform the qualitative interviews and vice versa, providing excellent value for money.

And aside from the research, I’ve been adapting to doing a weekly shop in person, attempting to entertain/home school three primary school-aged children, and religiously doing PE with Joe Wicks!

Katie Robb
Reader (Mental Health and Wellbeing)

First published: 26 May 2020

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