Biography
Professor Jill Francis specialises in behavioural approaches to implementation science, a field which aims to identify the most effective ways to support changes in healthcare practice to improve health care and health outcomes. A particular focus is the methodological approach to the development and evaluation of complex interventions that has been developed by the UK Medical Research Council since 2000. This includes applying methods and models of behaviour change, developed largely in the field of health psychology. Jill works with multidisciplinary research teams in the UK, wider Europe, Canada and Australia. She has been involved in funded research projects to the value of around $50 million and has published over 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals.
Jill is the research lead for implementation science in cancer in the Department of Health Services Research. As a senior academic, Jill often participates in mentoring and capacity-building activities. She has mentored academic staff at all levels, supported early career staff to apply for externally-funded fellowships, and managed her own teams of research staff. Over the past 10 years Jill has served on several funding panels as an expert in behavioural science, including for the UK National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and Cancer Research UK. In 2016-2018, she was an invited member of the Implementation Strategy Group at the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Jill was formerly Professor of Health Services Research at City University of London (serving as Associate Dean for Research 2013–2016 and Senior Strategic Research Adviser in 2019) and Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Aberdeen (2011–2013). She has held honorary positions in the Centre for Implementation Research at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Jill was educated at the University of Melbourne, completing a PhD in social psychology in 1998. Jill is currently co-appointed as Professor of Implementation Science in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne.
Qualifications
Publications
Yang I, McDonald C, Francis J. Behaviour change: the key to implementing evidence on COPD prevention, diagnosis and management. Respirology 2021, 30 Sept 2021. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/resp.14160
Nicholson C, Francis J, Nielsen G, Lorencatto F. Barriers & enablers to providing community-based occupational therapy to people with Functional Neurological Disorder: An interview study with occupational therapists in the United Kingdom. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, E-pub 27 May 2021; https://doi.org/10.1177/03080226211020658.
O'Connor M, McSherry L, Dombrowski S, Francis J, Murphy J, Martin CM, O'Leary JJ, Sharp L. Identifying ways to maximise cervical screening uptake: a qualitative study of GPs’ and practice nurses’ cervical cancer screening-related behaviours. HRB Open Research 2021, 4(44);1-15. (5 May 2021).
Waterland JL, Chahal R, Ismail H, Sinton C, Riedel B, Francis JJ, Denehy L, on behalf of the Centre for Prehabilitation and Perioperative Care. Implementing a telehealth prehabilitation education session for patients preparing for major cancer surgery. BMC Health Services Research 2021, 21;443:1-14
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06437-w. 10 May 2021
Squires JE, Hutchinson AM, Coughlin M, Bashir K, Curran J, Grimshaw JM, Dorrance K, Aloisio L, Brehaut J, Francis JJ, Ivers N, Lavis J, Michie S, Hillmer M, Noseworthy T, Vine J, Graham ID. Stakeholder perspectives of attributes and features of context important relevant to knowledge translation in health settings: A multi-country analysis. International Journal of Health Policy & Management. https://www.ijhpm.com/article_4042.html (1 May 2021).
McCleary N, Francis J, Campbell M, Ramsay C, Burton C, Allan J. Antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infection: exploring drivers of cognitive effort and factors associated with inappropriate prescribing. Family Practice, 2021/03/15; https://abdn.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/antibiotic-prescribing-for-respiratory-tract-infection-exploring- .
Newlands R, Duncan E, Presseau J, Treweek S, Lawrie L, Bower P, Elliott J, Francis J, MacLennan G, Ogden M, Wells M, Witham MD, Young B, Gillies K. Why trials lose participants: a multi-trial investigation of participants’ perspectives using the theoretical domains framework. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, March 12, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.03.007
Patey A, Grimshaw JM, Hurt C, Francis JJ. Changing behaviour, ‘more or less’: do implementation and de-implementation interventions include different behaviour change techniques? Implementation Science 2021:16;20, 1-17.
Sekhon M, Cartwright M, Lawes-Wickwar S, McBain H, Ezra D, Newman S, Francis JJ. Does prospective acceptability of an intervention influence refusal to participate in a randomised controlled trial? An interview study. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications 2021, 19 January 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conctc.2021.100698
Patton DE, Pearce CJ, Cartwright M, Smith F, Cadogan CA, Ryan C, Clark E, Francis JJ, Hughes CM. A non-randomised pilot study of the Solutions for Medication Adherence Problems (S-MAP) intervention in community pharmacies to support older adults adhere to multiple medications. Pilot & Feasibility Studies 2021:7(1);1-21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-020-00762-3
Pemovska T, Jovanović N, Radojičić T, Arënliu A, Džubur-Kulenović A, Novotni A, Injac-Stevović L, Marić NP, Barjaktarov S, Francis J. Protocol for a process evaluation of a cluster randomised controlled trial to improve psychosocial treatment of patients with psychotic spectrum disorders: the IMPULSE study. Global Psychiatry 2021; 4(1), 20-30. 10.52095/gp.2020.1407
Behn N, Francis J, Togher L, Hatch E, Moss B, Hilari K. Description and effectiveness of communication partner training in TBI: A systematic review. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation 2021; 1 January 2021; 36(1): 56-71.
