Dr Rosemary Hollick

Biography

Rosemary is a Senior Clinical Lecturer and Rheumatologist at the University of Aberdeen. After obtaining a BSc in Biomedical Sciences, with 1st class honours in Pharmacology from the University of Aberdeen, Rosemary studied medicine at the University of Glasgow. She completed her specialist training in Rheumatology in 2017. Rosemary holds a Honorary Consultant Rheumatology post within NHS Grampian where she plays a key role in service development and improving care for those living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions. 

Research Overview

Rosemary leads a programme of health services research in rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions. This includes common, complex pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and inflammatory arthritis, with a specific focus on rare rheumatic disease.

This interdisciplinary programme brings together clinicians, researchers, decision makers and patients, and combines a number of different approaches; including routine health care data and health informatics, epidemiology, and qualitative methods, with an emphasis on patient-centred involvement and co-design.

Our approach aims to development person-centred, effective and sustainable improvements in health and well-being for those living with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions. 

Rosemary has a particular interest in service delivery in rare diseases and geographical inequalities in prevalence, outcomes and access to care.

Current Research

I lead the Versus Arthritis funded study VOICES (Vasculitis Outcomes In relation to Care Experiences), that is seeking to evaluate models of care for those with rare rheumatic disease, using systemic vasculitis as an exemplar. We have produced a Healthtalk module on systemic vasculitis and created a short film from our interviews with people across the UK who live with systemic vasculitis. We hope these will help staff and patients think about how they could improve care locally.

I also lead a Nuffield Foundation funded study, RHEUMAPS, which is examining the prevalence and outcomes for those with rheumatic disease living in rural areas using routinely collected healthcare data across primary and secondary care in Scotland and Wales, in collaboration with Prof Corri Black and Prof Sinead Brophy.

With Prof Gary Macfarlane I co-lead the PACFIND study, funded by Versus Arthritis. This aims to redesign services for those with fibromyalgia. We have also produced Healthtalk modules on fibromyalgia and a short film to help staff and patients think about how best to improve care.  

I am also co-investigator on two studies led by Prof Louise Locock; a Chief Scientist Office funded study exploring how to enhance recruitment and retention of rural doctors in Scotland and an NIHR funded study on community-led initiatives to improve recruitment and retention in remote and rural areas. 

As a workstream lead in the MRC/Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work, I am co-investigator on the MRC funded QUICK (QUantifying the Impact of Chronic pain on engagement in paid worK) study. We are developing a questionnaire to assess the many different ways in which chronic pain affects work ability, taking into account modern ways of working.

I am also a co-investigator on the Chief Scientist Office funded MiW (Making it Work) study. MiW aims to support people with musculoskeletal disorders in Scotland to remain in work, adapting the Making it Work™ intervention developed for people with inflammatory arthritis in Canada to a different country context and for a broader group of non-inflammatory MSK conditions.

In 2020 I was a co-investigator on the CONTAIN study, funded by the British Society of Rheumatology and Versus Arthritis, exploring the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on care for those with long term conditions.

I currently supervise Alison McIver, a Rheumatology Specialist Nurse working in the Western Isles, on development of a tool to measure social engagement in rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions.

These studies combine a range of qualitative methods (semi-structured interviews and novel ethnographic approaches), with data linkage methodologies and health economics, to co-design with patients, effective and equitable models of care and support. Central to this is patient and public involvement in research and I have contributed to the development of our Epidemiology PPI group. 

Knowledge Exchange

Patient and public engagement is embedded within all our studies. Further details can be found on our specific study webpages. Information on our Epidemiology PPIE group can be found below;

Patient and public involvement (PPI) | The Institute of Applied Health Sciences | The University of Aberdeen (abdn.ac.uk)

Collaborations

MRC/Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work

http://www.mrc.soton.ac.uk/cmhw/

Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health | The University of Aberdeen (abdn.ac.uk)

Funding and Grants

• Supporting people with musculoskeletal disorders in Scotland to remain in work: adapting the Making it Work™ intervention developed for people with inflammatory arthritis in Canada, Chief Scientist Office (Scotland) £232,840, Co-applicant, start date March 2022
• ‘Come and work here!’ Exploring the role of local community-led initiatives to improve recruitment and retention of healthcare staff in remote and rural areas, NIHR HS&DR, £238,266, Co-applicant, start date March 2022
• Understanding the impact of non-inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions on work and work transitions: a qualitative investigation, ISSF (Welcome) £11,974, Co-applicant, start date June 2021
• QUantifying the Impact of Chronic pain on engagement in paid worK (QUICK), Medical Research Council    £597,043, Co-applicant, start date April 2021
• Supporting osteoporosis care: Can an automated classification system effectively case finding people at risk, Grampian Osteoporosis Trust £87,814, Co-chief investigator, start date April 2021
• Minimising impact on vulnerable patients: Data-driven design, monitoring and adaptation of Covid and non-Covid clinical care pathways, Chief Scientist Office (Scotland), £76,212, Co-applicant, June 2020 - Dec 2020
• COVID-19 and musculoskeletal health during lockdown (CONTAIN study), Versus Arthritis, £50,000, Co-applicant, April 2020 - Dec 2020
• Geographical mapping of prevalence and outcomes in rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions across Wales and Scotland: a data linkage study, Nuffield Foundation, £377,156, Chief Investigator, June 2020 - Dec 2022
• Effective healthcare delivery in rare rheumatic disease: evaluating models of care for systemic vasculitis, Versus Arthritis, £309,166, Chief Investigator, Sep 2019 - Nov 2022
• Enhancing Recruitment And Retention Of Rural Doctors In Scotland: A Mixed-Methods Study, Chief Scientist Office (Scotland), £298,984, Co-applicant, June 2020 - May 2022
• Feasibility of Recruiting an Early Scottish Knee Osteoarthritis cohort (FRESKO), ISSF, £19,199, Co-applicant, June 2019 - Dec 2019
• Feasibility of Recruiting an Early Scottish Knee osteoarthritis cOhort (FRESKO), Chief Scientist Office Scotland, £32,132, Co-applicant, June 2019 - Dec 2019
• Patient-centred Care for Fibromyalgia: New pathway Design (PACFIND), Versus Arthritis, £1.18 million, Deputy CI and Co-applicant, Feb 2019 - Jan 2024
• Integrated Models of Physiotherapy-led care Across Community and Specialist Rheumatology Services (IMPACt), Chief Investigator, NHS Grampian Endowment Fund, £23, 692, April 2018 - Dec 2019

Teaching Responsibilities

Rosemary teaches both undergraduate and post graduate medical students at the University of Aberdeen, and leads the Quality Improvement Horizontal Theme across MBChB 4 and 5.

She contributes to the PU5030 Epidemiology Course, part of the Masters of Public Health and Global Health and Management.