Researcher

Maureen has been part of the Substance Misuse Ageing Research Team (SMART) since 2016 and since starting she has been working with other colleagues on the Drink Wise Age Well (DWAW) programme evaluation. This is a big lottery funded programme that has been specifically designed to look at ways to reduce alcohol related harm for people aged 50 and over.

Maureen is particularly interested in how researcher’s engage with people who have or have had a problems with alcohol and how that engagement can be used to deliver the research findings in different ways, including the arts and the media.

She was the principle investigator in a recent research study, the Accessibility and Suitability of Alcohol Residential Alcohol Treatment for Older Adults. This piece of research ensured that SMART was recognised by INVOLVE as an exemplar of best practice in public engagement in alcohol research.

Maureen is actively involved in the Public Engagement in Alcohol Research (PEAR) programme which has developed a number of public engagement initiatives including the use of theatre and training people with lived experience of alcohol problems to conduct and lead research projects.

She is currently finishing a small grant funded study about stigma and how it effects older adults with alcohol problems and their experiences of it.

Before joining the University Maureen worked in the public sector for almost 30 years and whilst she doesn’t have any previous experience of research she has a vast amount of leadership and management skills which she has been able to transfer and utilise in her current role.

She is a keen on sports of any kind, fast cars and enjoys driving. Maureen is a member and an observer for the Institute of Advance Drivers (IAM).

Peer reviewed publications

• Wadd, S., Dutton, M. Accessibility and Suitability of residential alcohol treatment for older adults: a mixed method study. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 13, 49(2018) (link 1) (link 2)
  
  
• Dutton, M., Jones, R. INVOLVE (2019) Co-production in Action: Number One, Section 2