Maria Lohan

I am a Professor of Social Science and Health, Fellow of QUB’s Centre for Evidence and Social Innovation (CESI) and Programme Lead of the Maternal and Child Health Research Group.

My research focusses on men’s health and especially engaging men and boys in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). As part of this research, I conduct systematic reviews, and co-design and rigorously evaluate interventions to address the Sustainable Development Goals of health for all and gender equality.

I am currently a consultant to World Health Organization, Human Reproduction Programme leading with the WHO evidence reviews on global programming to engage men and boy in SRHR and especially focussing on programming which foregrounds challenging gender inequalities to improve health for all. I have led multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary research projects funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the Medical Research Council, and the National Institute of Health Research. This research programme has resulted in the design and evaluation of relationship and sexuality education interventions in schools – the Jack Trial – https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/if-i-were-jack/ and novel relationship and sexuality education with young men in prisons https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/if-i-were-jack/InPrisons/IfIWereaDad/.

This research has also led to global collaborations underway to co-design similar interventions in Uruguay, Colombia and South Africa led by other scholars in the field, and funded by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Medical Research Council Global Challenges Research Fund (MRC GCRF). In recent years, I have been a Visiting International Scholar at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, University of British Columbia (UBC) and a Visiting Professor at the School of Nursing at UBC.

Leadership Roles (QUB)

Member of Queen’s Gender Initiative Executive Committee

Director of Research Representative for the Faculty on the Collaborative Provision Group

Member of University Research Strategy Group 

Member of Economic and Social Research Council Impact Acceleration Account Steering Committee 

Member of Queen's Engaged Research Advisory Group

Leadership Roles (External)

Member of Medical Research Council Global Health Faculty of Experts

Associate Editor of BMC Public Health

Member of the Editorial Board of International Journal of Men’s Social and Community Health

External Assessor for Faculty Promotions at UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems

Member of the ESRC College of Reviewers

Member of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Reviewers

Member of the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) Reviewers

Currently Funded Research Projects

1. Research consultancy on the engagement of men and boys in sexual and reproductive health and rights. World Health Organization, Geneva.

2. ‘The Jack Trial’: A multi-site cluster randomised trial of an interactive film-based intervention to reduce teenage pregnancy and promote positive sexual health. National Institute of Health Research (NIHR, UK).

3. Relationships and Future Fatherhood Programme for Young Incarcerated Men: Co-design and development of an Intervention. Medical Research Council, UK.

4.Involving Men and Boys in Family Planning (INVOLVE_FP): A systematic review of complex interventions to identify effective programme components and characteristics in low- and middle-income countries. UK AID Centre for Excellence for Development Impact and Learning (CEDIL), UK.

5. Phase-III RCT of Positive Choices: a whole-school social-marketing intervention to promote sexual health and reduce health inequalities, NIHR UK

6. A feasibility study of a prison-based parenting programme (Families Matter) in UK Prisons. Nuffield Foundation.

Recently Completed Research

1. Increasing boys’ and girls’ intention to avoid teenage pregnancy: feasibility trial of an interactive video drama based intervention in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland. National Institute of Health Research (NIHR, UK).

2. Positive Choices: Optimisation, feasibility testing and pilot randomised trial of Positive Choices: a school-based social marketing intervention to promote sexual health, prevent unintended teenage pregnancies and address health inequalities in England (NIHR, UK)

2. Teenage Men and Unintended Pregnancy: Development of a relationship and Sexuality Education Resource Economic and Social Research Council, UK

3. Investigating the Influences of Social Context and Structure on Young People's Parenting Experiences. Canadian Institute of Health Research    

4. Transition of young people with complex health needs from child to adult services. National Institute of Health Research (NIHR, UK).

5. Ready to Reproduce? Teenage Men’s Attitudes and Decision-Making in Relation to an Unplanned Pregnancy. Department of Health, Crisis Pregnancy Programme (IRL)

6. If I were Jack? The development of an Interactive CD on adolescent men and unintended pregnancy for adolescents in Northern Ireland. Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety, Northern Ireland.

7. Fathers in Families: An Evaluability Assessment.. HSC Research and Development Enabling Award.

8. Fathering high-risk infants: An in-depth study of parenting babies admitted to a neonatal unit and follow-up at home. TinyLife and School of Nursing and Midwifery QUB.

9. HIV and Pregnancy: A resource to inform Midwives and other health professionals about caring for men and women in relation to pregnancy. Health and Social Care Research and Development Office (Northern Ireland).

10. Sexual Education Needs of Young People in Care. Department of Health, Crisis Pregnancy Programme (IRL). 

11. Masculinities and Men’s Depression and Suicide Network. Movember.

12. An evaluation of If I were Jack in post-primary schools in Ireland with regard to the Relationship and Sexuality Education requirements of teenage men. Health Services Executive, Crisis Pregnancy Programme (IRL).