Elena Ratschen
Reader (Associate Professor) in Health Services Research
Profile
Biography
Elena is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Health Services Research specialising in applied mental health research using mixed methods. She is particularly interested in developing and evaluating complex interventions to improve lives in disadvantaged populations that are commonly excluded from research.
Elena's main areas of content expertise are human-animal interaction and tobacco dependence, both with a focus on mental health and quality of life. She has been (co-)leading pioneering, UKRI- and charity-funded research programmes, including the first NIHR-funded study programme on dog-assisted interventions for mental health (AD ASTRA), the NIHR-funded Programme Grant for Applied Research (PGfAR) SCEPTRE, and the Cancer Research UK-funded ESCAPE trial. She is founder and co-chair of the cross-departmental Human-Animal Interaction Research York (HAIRY) group. In terms of tobacco research, Elena has served as co-opted topic expert on the Royal College of Physician’s Tobacco Advisory Group and been multiply involved in the development of NICE guidance on the treatment of tobacco dependence in mental health populations since 2011.
Elena leads the postgraduate Evidence Synthesis module and is actively involved in PhD supervision. She is always happy to discuss projects that align with her main research interests (human-animal interaction; tobacco dependence) or an emerging area of activity: complementary and integrative approaches to healthcare.
Before joining the Mental Health and Addictions Research Group in York in 2016, Elena obtained a PhD and held a lectureship at the University of Nottingham (UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies).
Qualifications
- PhD (2010), University of Nottingham
- MPH (2007), University of Nottingham
- BA(hons) & MA (2004), University of Passau (Germany)
Research
Overview
Elena is an applied health researcher with expertise in using mixed methods and a special interest in the development and evaluation of complex interventions. Much of her research has focussed on tobacco smoking and severe mental illness (especially in the context of inpatient stays), but she has also been involved in projects related to other vulnerable groups, such as the homeless, prisoners, and looked-after children in residential care. Other interests related to tobacco research include electronic cigarettes, harm reduction and relapse prevention; holistic approaches towards treating multiple addictions and towards addressing poor physical health in people with mental disorder; and strategies to address health inequalities in vulnerable groups.
In recent years, Elena has increasingly focused on developing a research portfolio related to Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) and mental health in a variety of populations, including children and young people and people living with dementia. She is collaborating with a wide variety of national and international academic and non-academic organisations in this context and is co-chairing the Human-Animal Interaction Research York (HAIRY) group.
Selected Projects
Tobacco
Elena is PI to the NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Health Research (PGfAR): Promoting Smoking CEssation and PrevenTing RElapse in people with mental illness after a smokefree mental health inpatient stay (SCEPTRE) and co-lead on the Yorkshire Cancer Research-funded ESCAPE trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of providing e-cigarettes as adjunct care to people with mental illness.
Human-Animal Interaction (HAI)
Elena has been developing a portfolio of interdisciplinary research projects on HAIs in health and social care with a wide range of collaborators. This included the INTACT study during Covid, a project focused on the use of animal-assisted and robotic pet interventions for people with dementia, and several evaluations on dog-assisted community services.
In 2023, funding was secured for the NIHR Programme Development Grant AD ASTRA (on adjunctive dog-assisted interventions to improve mental health outcomes) and work has now commenced on a newly funded research programme focused on dog-assisted interventions to support the emerging social, emotional and mental health needs of neurodivergent primary school children.
See the HAI website for project updates, and follow on twitter @HumanAnimalYork
Research group(s)
Supervision
Elena will be very happy to discuss potential for supervision in any area related to her research interests
