By Dr Hannah Durand
Lecturer in Health Psychology, the University of Stirling
Dr Hannah Durand is a lecturer in Health Psychology at the University of Stirling. She is interested in chronic illness self-management across the lifespan, in particular treatment adherence and pain self-management.
Dr Durand completed her PhD at the National University of Ireland, Galway. She explored the prevalence and theoretical predictors of medication non-adherence among patients with apparent treatment-resistant hypertension in primary care in Ireland. This work involved close collaboration with colleagues in medicine, nursing, biostatistics, pharmacology, and biochemistry, and led to the development of an e-learning tool for medical students and GP trainees; changes to multiple international clinical hypertension management guidelines; and further funding to develop a complex behavioural intervention to promote patient adherence in primary care.
Dr Durand subsequently completed two postdoctoral research fellowships at NUI Galway, the most recent of which examined barriers and facilitators of adherence to physical distancing measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland. Findings from this research have been used to guide policy development in Ireland to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
In recent years, Dr Durand has developed a strong research interest in women’s health. She aims to develop a programme of research to address a variety of barriers to receiving adequate healthcare and pain management support for gynaecological and menstrual health issues. In particular, she is interested in the promotion of menstrual health literacy and appropriate help-seeking for menstrual pain.
Dr Durand’s outstanding contribution to the fields of health psychology and behavioural medicine at an early career stage earned her the Early Career Award of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine (2018), the Herman Schaalma Award of the European Health Psychology Society (2020), and the Pain Research Medal of the Irish Pain Society (2015 and 2020).