Hazel Haworth

Hazel Haworth is a PhD candidate in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s University Belfast, nearing completion of doctoral research focused on the co-design of a digital educational resource to support medication adherence for people living with Parkinson’s disease. Her research adopts a mixed-methods approach, incorporating systematic evidence synthesis through a scoping review, a UK-wide survey, qualitative interviews, and participatory co-design workshops with people with lived experience and carers.

She holds a distinction-level MSc in Dementia, which informs her ongoing research and teaching in dementia care, education and risk reduction. While her doctoral work is centred on Parkinson’s disease, her wider research portfolio includes dementia research, health education, and interdisciplinary approaches to complex health and social care challenges.

Alongside her PhD, Hazel Haworth holds research assistant roles on other projects, including the Vietnam Brain Game project focused on dementia risk reduction and brain health education, and an oral health project supporting the development of a funding application to the NIHR for a training resource to support community nurses in identifying oral health issues in older people. She also contributes to postgraduate teaching in dementia care and is actively engaged in knowledge exchange, public involvement, and co-production-based research activities.

Her research interests include co-design and co-production in health research, digital health education, behaviour change, medication self-management, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and mixed-methods health services research.

• Co-design and co-production in health research

• Digital health education and behaviour change

• Long-term neurological conditions (Parkinson’s, dementia)

• Medication adherence and patient self-management

• Mixed-methods research in health services

• Lived experience and qualitative inquiry

Professional Roles & Contributions

Current positions and research roles:

• PhD Candidate — School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University Belfast.

• Research Assistant — Vietnam Brain Game project (brain health education & dementia risk reduction).

• Research Assistant — Oral health for older adults with complex needs.

• Postgraduate dementia education contributor — design and delivery within School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Prizes & Recognition

• QUB 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) – First Prize, 2025 — award recognising excellence in academic communication.

• 3MT semi-final winner, 2025.

• #TweetYourThesis Competition recipient, 2024.