Senior Research Fellow

Emma Wilkinson is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Health Research (IHR).

She has a background in the biomedical sciences and has worked conducting applied health research for the past 20 years in the NHS, for an independent research consultancy and currently in an academic setting.

Her main research interest is the application of action research methodology in Public Health and this is the subject of her PhD thesis.

The projects she works on incorporate elements of action research and Emma provides expertise and advice for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) East of England Research Design Service (RDS) in this area.

Research Interests

• Diabetes
• Kidney Disease
• End of Life Care
• Ethics and moral distress
• Health Improvement
• Action Research
• Inequalities and Access
• Public Health
• Informal Carers

Funded Projects

• University of Bedfordshire, Research Investment Fund - Access and equality in healthcare and research.  £20,000 2012.  E Wilkinson
• Big Lottery Fund/Kidney Research UK –Ethnic differences in End-of-Life care – A method for effective dissemination. £24,000 2011-2012. G Randhawa & E Wilkinson.
• Big Lottery Fund/Kidney Research UK – Ethnic differences in End of Life Care: developing good practice for patients with end-stage renal failure.  £450,000. 2008-2012. G Randhawa & E Wilkinson.
• Big Lottery Fund/Kidney Research UK – Improving access for the UK's South Asian population with Type 2 diabetic renal disease – A method for effective dissemination. £25,598 2009-2010. G Randhawa & E Wilkinson.
• Big Lottery Fund/Kidney Research UK - Exploring access for the UK’s South Asian and White population with type 2 diabetic renal disease. £150,000. G Randhawa, E Lightstone, J Feehally & P Roderick

International conference presentations

• Wilkinson, E.,Kane, C., Rintakorpi, E., Abdy, D. and Waqar, M. (2019) Moral Distress in Emergency Nursing: a Scoping Review of the International Literature International Nursing Ethics Conference 2019, Guildford, UK
• Wilkinson, E. The Potential of Exploratory Action Research to Promote Access to End of Life Care for People of South Asian Ethnicity with End Stage Kidney Disease - Implications for Inequality Research and Clinical Practice. 10^th World Research Congress of the European Association of Palliative Care, 24-26^th May 2018, Bern, Switzerland
• Wilkinson, E. Action research and Realist enquiry, when are they one and the same and why does it matter? 2^nd International Conference on Realist Evaluation and Synthesis, 2-6th October 2016, London, UK
• Wilkinson, E. Waqar, M. and Randhawa, G. Exploring inequalities in diabetes care for older South Asian people in the UK: a realist review of the literature 3rd World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes (WCITT2D 2015), 28^th -30^th September 2015, London, UK
• Wilkinson, E. Taking a realist approach: when is it really realist?  Learning from a literature review of inequalities in diabetes care for older people from ethnic minorities in the UK. 1^st International Conference on Realist Evaluation and Synthesis 27^th – 29^th October 2014, Liverpool, UK
• E Wilkinson Care, communication and conflicting cultures:  an exploratory study of renal end of life care for ethnic minorities in the UK.  International Centre for Nursing Ethics (ICNE) 13^th International Nursing Ethics Conference 4^th – 6^th October 2012 Kusadasi Ismir, Turkey
• E Wilkinson Improving quality of end of life care for minority ethnic renal patients in UK.  European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association EDTNA / ERCA European Renal Care Association 41^st International Conference 15^th – 18^th Sept 2012 Strasbourg, France
• E Wilkinson Exploring end of life care for South Asian renal patients. Supportive Care for the Renal Patient Conference 4-5 July 2012 London, UK
• E Wilkinson Quality, access and experience of the diabetic renal disease care pathway: where are the gaps for White and South Asian patients? Communication, Medicine and Ethics (COMET) 9^th Interdisciplinary Conference, 30^th June – 2^nd July 2011 University of Nottingham, UK

Research publications

• Kane, C., Wilkinson, E., Rintakorpi, E., Abdy, D. and Waqar, M. (2020) Locating moral distress in emergency nursing: a scoping review of the international literature – in preparation
• Wilkinson, E., Brettle, A., Waqar, M. and Randhawa, G. (2019) Inequalities and outcomes: end stage kidney disease in ethnic minorities BMC Nephrology. doi: doi.org/10.1186/s12882-019-1410-2
• Wilkinson, E. Randhawa, G., Waqar, M., Gill, B.,  Hoque, P.,  Jetha, C., Kaur Bola, K., Mahmood, R.,  Mahmood, S. and Saujani, R (2017) Exploring end of life care for South Asian Renal patients – interviewer reflections International Journal of Palliative Nursing 23; 3;120-128 doi: 10.12968/ijpn.2017.23.3.120
• Wilkinson, E., Randhawa, G., Brown, E., Da Silva Gane, M., Stoves, J., Warwick, G., Atkhar, T., Magee, R., Sharman, S, & Farrington, K.  (2017) Time, Timing, Talking and Training: Findings from an exploratory study of end of life care for minority ethnic renal patients Clinical Kidney Journal doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfw151
• Wilkinson, E., Waqar, M., Sinclair, A., & Randhawa, G. (2016) Meeting the challenge of diabetes in ageing and diverse populations: A review of the literature from the UK. Journal of Diabetes Research, Volume 2016. Article ID 8030627. URL: dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/8030627
• Wilkinson, E., Randhawa, G., Brown, E., Da Silva Gane, M., Stoves, J., Warwick, G., Atkhar, T., Magee, R., Sharman, S, & Farrington, K. (2016) Exploring access to end of life care for ethnic minorities with end stage kidney disease through recruitment in action research BMC Palliative Care 15;57 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-016-0128-1 URL: www.biomedcentral.com/1472-684X/15/57
• Wilkinson, E., Randhawa, G., Brown, E., Da Silva Gane, M., Stoves, J., Warwick, G., Atkhar, T., Magee, R., Sharman, S, & Farrington, K. (2014) Communication as Care: an emerging issue from an exploratory study of renal end of life care for ethnic minorities in the UK. Journal of Renal Care 40; issueS1; 23-29; doi: 10.1111/jorc.12084
• Wilkinson, E., Randhawa, G. & Singh, M. (2014) Quality improvements in culturally competent diabetes care - how holistic have they been?  A case study from the United Kingdom.  International Journal for Equity in Health doi: 10.1186/1475-9276-13-29
• Wilkinson, E., Randhawa, G. & Singh, M. (2013) What’s the worry with diabetes?  Learning from the experiences of White European and South Asian people with a new diagnosis of diabetes.  Primary Care Diabetes doi: 10.1016/j.pcd.2013.11.006
• Wilkinson, E., Randhawa, G., Hall, M., Lightstone, L. Farrington, K., Greenwood, R., Roderick, P. and Feehally, J. (2013) Book chapter: "The impact of National Chronic Kidney Disease management guidelines in the United Kingdom on referral patterns for South Asian and European patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, in Popejoy, M. and Akukwe C (Eds) Global Public Health Policy ISBN: 10:1624177190 Nova Science Publishers Inc.
• Wilkinson, E. & Randhawa, G. (2013) Understanding the role of primary care in the diabetes care pathway: the views of service providers caring for South Asian populations in the UK.  Diabetes and Primary Care www.diabetesandprimarycare.co.uk/archive/issue/15-2-2013
• Wilkinson, E., Randhawa, G., Feehally, J., Farrington, K., Greenwood, R., Choi. P. and Lightstone, E.  (2012) A multi-centred qualitative study exploring the experiences of UK South Asian and White diabetic patients referred for renal care.  BMC Nephrology 13; 157; doi: 10.1186/1471-2369-13-157
• Wilkinson E. & Randhawa G  (2012) An examination of concordance and cultural competency in the diabetes care pathway – South Asians living in the UK. Indian Journal of Nephrology.22; 6; 424-30; doi: 4103/0971-4065.106033
• Wilkinson E, Randhawa, G, Roderick P, Rehman T, Abubacker T (2012) National primary care for England: impact on CKD prevention in South Asian populations. Journal of Nephrology 25; 5; 661-71 doi: 10.5301/jn.5000037
• Wilkinson E. & Randhawa G (2012) 'Exploring end of life care for South Asian renal patients',  British Journal of Renal Medicine April 2012 p. 21
• Wilkinson E & Randhawa G (2012) Concordance facilitates access in diabetes care – service provider perspectives of service improvement and cultural competency. Diabetic Medicine 29; 11; 1440-6 doi: 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2012.03674.x
• Wilkinson, E., Randhawa, G., Roderick, P., Rehman, T. and Abubacker, T. (2011) The impact of quality improvement initiatives on diabetes care among South Asian people, Diabetes and Primary Care, 13, 90-98
• Wilkinson, E., Randhawa, G., Farrington, K., Feehally, J., Choi, P. and Lightstone, L. (2011) Lack of awareness of kidney complications despite familiarity with diabetes - a multi-ethnic qualitative study, Journal of Renal Care 37; 1; 2-11 doi: 10.1111/j.1755-6686.2011.00199.x
• Wilkinson, E., Elander, E. and Woolaway (1997) Exploring the use of action research to stimulate and evaluate workplace health promotion Health Education Journal 56; 2; 188-198 doi: 10.1177/001789699705600209