Professor Fiona Cowdell
Fiona Cowdell joined Birmingham City University in 2016 as a Professor of Nursing and Knowledge Mobilisation. She is a graduate of Oxford Brookes University with a doctorate from Bournemouth University. As a registered nurse she worked for many years in the National Health Service at senior levels both operational and strategic whilst developing close links with academia. Fiona works nationally and internationally with academic, practice, public and third sector individuals and organisations.
Fiona leads the Knowledge-to-Care Research (K2C) Group which focuses on developing the theory and practice of evidence-informed healthcare. K2C strategically integrates knowledge mobilisation, co-creation, patient and public involvement and engagement, implementation and improvement to support health care practitioners and service users to make best use of available evidence and expertise to support health care practices. The work she undertakes is clinically relevant and directly applicable to practice and often focused on both skin health and older person care. Fiona is a National Institute for Health and Care Research Knowledge Mobilisation Research Fellowship alumna.
Alongside other work Fiona is committed to developing new female clinicians and researchers. She is actively engaged in Athena Swan activity and is co-lead of the Programme for Women Achieving Excellence in Research. Fiona leads the Research Excellence Framework 2029, Unit of Assessment 3, Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy for BCU.
Fiona is an Associate Editor of the British Journal of Dermatology and serves on the editorial board of Dermatological Nursing. She is a member of United Kingdom Dermatology Clinical Trials Network Steering Group and Executive Committee. Fiona is an active member of the Royal College of Nursing and the Society of Academic Primary Care.
Qualifications
Doctorate in Professional Practice
Post Graduate Certificate in Research Supervision
MA Professional Development
Post Graduate Certificate, Teaching in Higher Education
BA (Hons) Health Care Studies
Diploma in Nursing
Registered Nurse
Memberships
- NIHR RfPB panels
- NIHR Dissemination Centre, College of Raters
- Society of Academic Primary Care Skin Special Interest Group
- Dermatological Nursing Journal Editorial Board
- United Kingdom Dermatology Clinical Trials Network Steering Group
- United Kingdom Dermatology Clinical Trials Network Executive Committee
Research
2024 – 2027 NIHR, INSIGHT Inspiring Students into Research
2021 – 2026 NIHR, Programme Grant for Applied Research, RAPID and Efficient Eczema Trials
2024 – 2025 NIHR, Programme Development Grant, Implementing and evaluating a co-designed, tailored intervention to support pressure ulcer prevention behaviours by older patients and their lay carers in community settings: preparing for inclusive and diverse research (CPrUPII)
2020 – 2023 NIHR, Research for Patient Benefit, Co-design of a tailored intervention to support pressure ulcer prevention behaviours by older patients and their lay carers in community settings (CPrUP I)
2019 – 2023 Horizon 2020, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Innovative Training Networks. “‘INNOVATEDIGNITY’ Dignified Care for Older People”
2019 – 2021 Burdett Trust for Nursing. “Co- designing person-centred frailty interventions in partnership with older people and health professionals: What is frailty from the perspective of community dwelling older adults and how can frail older people be better supported?
2016 – 2020 NIHR, Knowledge sharing in atopic eczema: understanding and enhancing mindlines and patientlines to improve experience and outcomes of primary care consultations and self-management practices
2015 – 2017 Phenomenology of living with ageing skin
2015 – 2016 Cochrane Review: Psychological and educational interventions for adult eczema
2015 – 2018 NIHR, Health Technology Assessment, Comparison of Alitretinoin with PUVA as the first line treatment in patients with severe chronic Hand eczema (ALPHA)
2013 – 2016 NIHR, Health Technology Assessment, Clothing for Eczema Symptoms (CLOTHES)
2013 – 2015 Burdett Trust for Nursing, Humanising services: A new transferable leadership strategy for improving “what matters to older people” to enhance dignity in care
2013 – 2014 Croda, A Study to Explore Emollient Preferences of Adults Living with Long-Term Skin Conditions
2012 – 2013: Development and reliability and validity testing of the MOLES Index
2011 – 2012: Enhancing self-management in people with psoriasis: can digital technology help?
2010 – 2011: Re-validation of the Person-Centred Dermatology Self-Care Index
Postgraduate Supervision
Fiona supervises doctoral students studying Knowledge-to-Care practices and is particularly interested in practically relevant and applicable studies.
Publications
Woodhouse M, Cowdell F, Roddis J, Devrell A, Oakley K, Dyson J (2024) Theoretically informed co-design of a tailored intervention to support pressure ulcer prevention behaviours by older people and their lay carers in community settings (C-PrUP) (in press BMJ Open)
Muller I, Teasdale E, Cowdell F, Smart P, Santer M, Francis N. (2024) Practice and community nurses’ views and experiences of helping people manage risk factors for recurrent lower limb cellulitis: a qualitative interview study. Skin Health and Disease. 30:e395.
Xiarchi LM, Nässén K, Palmér L, Cowdell F, Lindberg E (2024) Unveiling the dynamics of older person care: A qualitative exploration of the intersection between formal and informal caregiving from the perspectives of registered nurses in Greece. BMC Health Services Research. 21;24(1):966.
Dyson J, Cowdell F One in five 18-24 year olds don’t wash their hands at festivals. https://theconversation.com/one-in-five-18-to-24-year-olds-dont-wash-their-hands-at-festivals-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-hand-hygiene-232455
Raju S, Cowdell F, Dyson J (2024) Barriers and facilitators to healthy gestational weight gain amongst pregnant women from ethnic minority groups: A systematic search and narrative synthesis. Midwifery. Jun 4:104051
Roddis J, Dyson J, Woodhouse M, Devrell A, Oakley K, Cowdell F. (2024) Barriers and facilitators to pressure ulcer prevention behaviours by older people and their lay carers in community settings: A qualitative study. BMJ Open. Mar 18;14.
Zygouri I, Mantzoukas S, Cowdell F, Gouva M, Ploumis A (2024) The Experience of Gender in Spousal Caregiving: A Phenomenological Psychological Study (Greece). Rehabilitation Psychology https://doi.org/10.1037/rep0000558
Howells L, Muller I, Baker A, Davey T, Owen T, Davies F, Ridd M, Mitchell E, Cowdell F. et al on behalf of the Rapid Eczema Trials Team. Can an online approach to citizen science revolutionise eczema clinical trials? European Health Psychologist Vol. 23 No. 1 (2024): EHP February 2024 | European Health Psychologist (ehps.net).
Burlingham M, Maguire L, Hibberd L, Turville N, Cowdell F, Bailey E (2024) The needs of multiple birth families during the first 1,001 critical days: A rapid review with a systematic literature search and narrative synthesis. Public Health Nursing. 41(1):112-26.
Xiarchi L, Nässén K, Palmér L, Cowdell F, Lindberg E. (2024) Gender influences on caring, dignity, and well-being in older person care: A systematic literature review and thematic synthesis. Nursing Philosophy. 25(1):e12467.https://doi.org/10.1111/nup.12467
Lang K, Lindberg E, Nässén K, Cowdell F, Palmer L (2024) Homecare nurses’ lived experiences of caring relationships with older people: A phenomenological study. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. 38(1):150-8.
Lang K, Lindberg E, Nässén K, Cowdell F, Palmer L (2023) “A becoming in the meeting”: A meta-ethnography of the interpretations of competence in home care from the perspective of older people and registered nurses. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. 18(1):2262170.
Dyson J, Westoby C, Collins T, Vakaj E, Millman C, Akinbobola Y, Skinner J, Windsor E, Cowdell F. (2024) A Programme for Women achieving Excellence in Research (PoWER): Theoretically informed intervention design, and evaluation. International Journal for Academic Development. Jan 26:1-6.
Tauzer J, Cowdell F, Nässén K. (2024) From ethical approval to an ethics of care: Considerations for the inclusion of older adults in ethnographic research from the perspective of a ‘humanisation of care framework’. Journal of Aging Studies. 66:101162.
Wittmann M, Smith I, Brown S, Berekmeri A, Vargas-Palacios A, Sunderland L, Cowdell F, et al. (2023) Comparison of alitretinoin vs. psoralen plus ultraviolet A as first-line treatments for chronic severe hand eczema: results from the ALPHA trial. British Journal of Dermatology. 188(Supplement_4):ljad113-006. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjd/ljad113.006
Xiarchi L, Palmér L, Nässén K, Cowdell F, Lindberg E (2023) Balancing between familiarity and professionalism in caring for older persons: A phenomenological study from the perspective of nursing students. Nurse Education in Practice. 71:103695.
Raju S, Cowdell F, Dyson J (2023) Midwives experiences of supporting healthy gestational weight management during routine consultations: a mixed-methods systematic literature review. Midwifery. 124:103750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2023.103750
Cowdell F, Heague M, Dyson J. (2023) Barriers and facilitators to skin hygiene care and emollient use in residential care homes: Instrument design and survey. International Journal of Older People Nursing https://doi.org/10.1111/opn.12550
Cowdell F, Lax S, van Onselen J, Pendleton R. (2023) Can co-created knowledge mobilisation interventions alter and enhance mindlines to improve childhood eczema care? A United Kingdom based Social Impact Framework evaluation. BMJ Open doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065557
Cowdell F. (2023) Using co-creation to modify mindlines and improve childhood eczema care. In: Knowledge Transformation in Health and Social Care: Putting Mindlines to Work (eds: Gabbay J and le May A) Routledge, Abingdon.
Raju S, Dyson J, Cowdell F.: A systematic review of women’s experiences of interventions to prevent excessive gestational weight gain. Nursing for Women’s Health https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nwh.2022.12.004
Smith I.L, Gilberts R, Brown S, Fernandez C, Nixon J, Reynolds C, Smith C, Lear J.T, Sunderland L, Green C, Goodfield M, Cowdell F, Hampton P, Barker A, Vargas-Palacios A, Tubeuf S, Wittmann M. (2022) Comparison of ALitretinoin with PUVA as the first-line treatment in patients with severe chronic HAnd eczema (ALPHA): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2022;12:e060029. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2021-060029
Collinson M, Mason E, Kelley R, Griffiths A, Ashley L, Henry A, Inman H, Cowdell F, Hennell J, Jones L, Walsh M, Ogden M, Farrin A, Surr C. (2022) Characteristics and general practice resource use of people with comorbid cancer 1 and dementia in England: a retrospective cross-sectional study. BMC Primary Care. 23(1):281.
Mulligan KM, O’Connell KA, da Silva A, Szeto MD, Sivesind TE, Cowdell F, Dyson J, Dellavalle RP (2022) From the Cochrane Library: Hygiene and emollient interventions for maintaining skin integrity in older people in hospital and residential care settings. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2022.08.008
Heague M, Dyson J, Cowdell F (2022) Barriers and facilitators to delivering personal hygiene care in residential settings: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.16413
Howells L, Cowdell F (2022) Qualitative research in dermatology nursing. Dermatological Nursing 21(2): 34-36.
Cowdell F, Dyson J, Sykes M, Dam R, Pendleton R (2022) How and how well have older people been engaged in health care intervention design, development or delivery using co-methodologies: a scoping review with narrative summary. Health & Social Care in the Community. 30(2):776-98.
Cowdell F. Evidence should inform more than prescribing decisions: A commentary. British Journal of Dermatology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.21603
Greenwell K, Ghio D, Sivyer K, Steele M, Teasdale E, Ridd M. J., Roberts A, Chalmers J, Lawton S, Langan S, Cowdell F, et al. Eczema Care Online: development and qualitative optimisation of an online behavioural intervention to support self-management in young people with eczema. BMJ Open. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056867
Sivyer K, Teasdale E, Greenwell K, Steele M, Ghio D, Ridd MJ, Roberts A, Chalmers JR, Lawton S, Langan SM, Cowdell F. et al. (2021) Supporting families managing childhood eczema: Developing and optimising Eczema Care Online using qualitative research. Br J General Practice. 72 (719): e378-e389. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0503
Gran S, Hollestein LM, Cowdell F. Demystifying statistics and interpreting study results. Dermatological Nursing. 20(4):35-38
Dyson J, Cowdell F (2021) How is the Theoretical Domains Framework applied in designing interventions to support healthcare practitioner behaviour change? A systematic search and narrative synthesis. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 33(3):mzab106.
Zygouri I, Cowdell F, Ploumis A, Gouva M, Mantzoukas S. (2021) Gendered Experiences of Providing Informal Care for Older People: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis. BMC Health Services Research, 21(1):1-5.
Ashley L, Kelley R, Griffiths A, Cowdell F, et al. (2021) Understanding and identifying ways to improve hospital-based cancer care and treatment for people with dementia: an ethnographic study. Age and Ageing. 50(1):233-41.
Appleby B, Cowdell F, Booth A. (2021) Knowledge mobilization in bridging patient‐practitioner‐researcher boundaries: A systematic integrative review. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 77(2):523-36.
Surr C, Griffiths AW, Kelley R, Ashley L, Cowdell F, et al. (2021) Navigating cancer treatment and care when living with comorbid dementia: an ethnographic study. Supportive Care in Cancer. 29(5):2571-9.
Griffiths AW, Ashley L, Kelley R, Cowdell F et al. (2021). Balancing the needs of individuals and services in cancer treatment for people with dementia: an ethnographic study. International Journal of Nursing Studies. Jun 21:104006. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002074892100153X
Westoby C, Dyson J, Cowdell F, Buescher T (2021) What are the barriers and facilitators to success for female academics in UK HEIs? A narrative review. Gender and Education. 12:1-24.
Chalmers J, Cowdell F (2021) What are quantitative and qualitative research methods? A brief introduction. Dermatological Nursing. 20(2):45-48
Cowdell F, Radley K (2021) Nurses and dermatology research: A national survey. Dermatological Nursing 20(1): 44-46
Cowdell F, (2021) Amending mindlines to improve eczema care. Primary Care Dermatology Society Bulletin. Spring edition.
Cowdell F, (2021) New school resources bring eczema to life. National Eczema Society Exchange. June edition.
Appleby B, Cowdell F, Booth A. (2021) Knowledge mobilization in bridging patient‐practitioner‐researcher boundaries: A systematic integrative review. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 77(2):523-36.
Surr C, Griffiths A, Kelley R, Ashley L, Cowdell F, Henry A, Inman H, Collinson M, Mason E, Farrin A. (2020) Navigating cancer treatment and care when living with comorbid dementia: an ethnographic study. Supportive Care in Cancer. 29:2571-9.
Cowdell F,Ahmed T, Layfield C. (2020) Knowledge mobilisation: a UK co-creation study to devise strategies to amend lay and practitioner atopic eczema mindlines to improve consultation experiences and self-management practices in primary care. BMJ Open. 10(9):e036520.
Galvin K.T, Pound C, Cowdell F, Ellis-Hill C, Sloan C, Brooks S, Ersser S. (2020) A lifeworld theory-led action research process for humanising services: Improving ‘what matters’ to older people to enhance humanly sensitive care. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. 5(1):1817275.
Clark M.T., Vakaj E, Beirnat K, McKnight L, Cowdell F. (2023) Knowledge Mobilisation in Safeguarding Adults and Children for Healthcare in England. Health and Social Care in the Community. 1:6080695.