Dr Rosalind Adam

Biography

I am an academic general practitioner (GP) and a Senior Clinical Lecturer in Primary Care. I have been awarded a Scottish Senior Clinical post-doctoral fellowship (CSO, NRS, Scottish Universities) which runs until August 2026 and investigates the role of digital health technologies in improving outcomes for people living beyond cancer. My research focuses on:

• Symptom management - particularly pain and fatigue
• Cancer in primary care
• Digital health and digital health interventions

With robust primary care clinical research we can improve health outcomes at scale.

Research Overview

My research spans four interconnected areas:

1. Delivering effective primary care
2. Optimising cancer outcomes
3. Digital health
4. Achieving effective symptom management

My research utilises both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. I have expertise in intervention development.

Current Research

The following are current research projects that I am leading:

• The Improving Cancer Aftercare Study (ICAS) - investigating experiences of treatment burden in individuals who have been treated for prostate and colorectal cancer, their perceptions of cancer aftercare, and areas that might be improved
• Co-designing digitally enabled cancer aftercare - patients as equal partners in a process to develop digital interventions to improve cancer outcomes
• Investigating multimorbidity in individuals after cancer and the effect of multimorbidity on survival and quality of life. This research will utilise routinely collected health data
•  Investigating treatment burden after cancer treatment: a questionnaire study
• The RUREO questionnaire study - investigating whether rural and urban patients with cancer have different experiences and expectations of out-of-hours medical care 
• Innovative engineering technologies to improve the understanding and management of fatigue

I am collaborating on the folllowing projects:

• Phase II double-blind randomised controlled trial of exogenous administration of melatonin in chronic pain (DREAM—CP)
• Improving the patient-pharmacist interaction: A new approach to help patients make informed pain management decisions
• Developing digital educational interventions to improve pain management in individuals with advanced cancer (Dana Faber Cancer Institute, Boston

Collaborations

Collaborations include:

• Dana Faber Cancer Institute, Boston (Pain management apps)
• Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen
• Health Psychology, University of Aberdeen
• Fatigue engineering technologies - University of Cambridge, University of Glasgow, Lancaster University, University College London, University of Southampton
• Pain management team, NHS Grampian

Funding and Grants

2021: NHS Grampian Endowment Funding - Optimising Remote Consulting and Home Assessment of Medically Vulnerable Rural Patients - the ORCHARD Study £12,000

2019 - 2024 Improving cancer survivorship care through theory-based, tailored eHealth interventions. NHS Research Scotland, CSO, and University of Aberdeen Development Trust £862,870

2018-2019 Achieving Self-Directed Integrated Cancer Aftercare (ASICA): developing digitally supported cancer aftercare to achieve high quality, equitable care for diverse populations. NHS Grampian Pump Priming Murchie P, Adam R, Maclennan S, Macdonald G, Samuel L £24,573

2017 - continues: Developing a person-centred discrete choice experiment to support shared decision making in the patient-pharmacist interaction. Pharmacy Research UK Project Grant. Ryan M, Bond C, Chua G, Krucien N, Adam R, Porteous T, Murchie P £99,994

2014-2017 Using novel technology to improve outpatient palliative cancer pain management. Doctoral research fellowship, Scottish Government. £160,573

Non-course Teaching Responsibilities

I teach on the medical student Student Selected Component 3 module

I examine clinical OSCEs

I teach medical students within the medical practice and supervise trainee GPs.