Professor Laura Jones BSc (Hons), DPS, PhD, PCAP, FHEA

Dr Laura Jones

Department of Applied Health Sciences
Professor of Qualitative and Mixed Methods Women鈥檚 Health Research
Public Health and Women鈥檚 Health Team Lead Department of Applied Health Sciences
Deputy Director of Post Graduate Studies (Mental Health and Wellbeing) College of Medicine and Health

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 3024
Email
l.l.jones@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
Address
Murray Learning Centre
University 麻豆精选
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Professor Laura Jones is a Professor of Qualitative and Mixed Methods Women’s Health Research in the Department of Applied Health Sciences (AHS) and also Public Health and Women’s Health Team Lead in AHS.  Laura is also Deputy Director of Post Graduate Studies (Mental Health and Wellbeing) in the College of Medicine and Health.

Laura’s research focusses on undertaking qualitative and mixed methods health research to answer challenging questions around women’s and maternal health. Her research sits at the complex intersection of using robust qualitative methodologies to engage underserved populations in sensitive health related research to inform policy and practice. The aim is to improve health and wellbeing for these seldom heard groups. 

Laura successfully led the largest UK qualitative study of female genital mutilation care provision. The results of which were featured exclusively on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and are helping to change NHS policy and practice around caring for survivors (FGM Sister Study). Currently, Laura is leading a multi methods feasibility study exploring the acceptability of a future trial of different surgical interventions for women with pelvic organ prolapse. (C-POP Study). Both studies received funding from the National Institute for Health Research.

Laura also leads multiple qualitative process evaluations in trials of women’s and maternal health nationally. Her trials research focuses on a core set of themes which are key to the successful design and delivery of inclusive pragmatic clinical trials.

Qualifications

  • PGCert Academic Practice, University 麻豆精选, 2016
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2015
  • PhD Human Sciences, Loughborough University, 2008
  • BSc (Hons) Human Biology with Diploma in Professional Studies, Loughborough University, 2004 

Biography

Laura qualified with a First Class BSc (Hons) in Human Biology with a diploma in professional studies from Loughborough University in 2004, staying on to successfully gain her mixed methods PhD in 2008. With funding from the Child Growth Foundation, Laura’s PhD explored how early childhood events affect the timing and duration of puberty and subsequent propensity for risky behaviours in South African adolescents.

Laura’s first post-doctoral position at Loughborough University investigated the determinants of childhood and adolescent obesity using data from several large birth cohort datasets. In early 2009, Laura moved to the University of Nottingham to take up a UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies (UKCTCS) Research Fellowship and later (2012) a Senior Research Fellow position. Whilst at Nottingham, Laura was involved in a variety of mixed methods tobacco control research and established significant expertise in harm reduction, specifically in secondhand smoke and smoke-free environments.Most notably, she led the development and testing of a complex intervention to help protect disadvantaged children from the harms of secondhand smoke at home, which was found to be clinically and cost-effective. 

In April 2013, Laura moved to the University 麻豆精选 to take up a Lectureship in Qualitative and Mixed Methods Applied Health Research and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2018. Since arriving in Birmingham, Laura has continued to build her research profile, with an increasing focus on women’s and maternal health projects. In particular, she is focussing on service provision for women from seldom heard groups. Since 2010, Laura has generated a substantial research income of >£21million (including >£1.2million as chief investigator), published more than 70 papers, reports and book chapters and is a sought-after methodological collaborator.

In addition to her research, Laura is also well-respected teacher and is actively involved in developing the skills of others via mentoring and delivery of Introduction to Teaching and Learning sessions across the University. During her PGCert in Academic Practice (awarded with Distinction), she was awarded two teaching related prizes by the University 麻豆精选. The first prize was for her commitment to and demonstration of effective academic practice and the second was for her outstanding contribution to the PGCert Academic Practice Programme.

Teaching

  • Medicine and Surgery MBChB
  • MSc Public Health
  • MRes Clinical Health Research
  • Intercalation POSH BMedSci
  • Introduction to Learning and Teaching, HEFI

Postgraduate supervision

Laura is interested in supervising doctoral researchers in the following general research areas:

  • Qualitative and/or mixed methods exploring aspects of women’s health, maternal health, and/or maternity care
  • Qualitative and/or mixed methods exploring sensitive/challenging health issues with underserved populations
  • The use of qualitative and mixed methodologies within and/or alongside clinical trials.

Research

Core Research Themes

Clinical Areas

Women’s health; maternal health; maternity care; female genital mutilation; pelvic health; sexual and reproductive health.

Research Methodologies and Methods

Qualitative research methodologies and methods; qualitative research with clinical trials; mixed methods; seldom heard groups; process evaluation; sensitive research’ inclusive research design and evaluation; implementation science; behaviour change; theory.

Other activities

Allyship

  • Proud to be an LGBTQ+ ally at the University 麻豆精选
  • I am a Mental Health First Aider – please feel free to get in touch
  • University 麻豆精选 Domestic Abuse Ally

Public Engagement Activities 

  • “A breath of fresh air” Pint of Science Public Engagement Event, Bodega Birmingham 2016

Awards and Honours 

  • University 麻豆精选 Outstanding Contribution to the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice Programme 2016
  • University 麻豆精选 Effective Academic Practice Teaching Prize 2015
  • Parental and household smoking and the increased risk of bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and other lower respiratory infections in infancy: systematic review and meta-analysis paper: General Medicine Award Runner Up, 6th Annual Biomed Central Research Awards 2012
  • Loughborough University Graduate Student of the Year Award. Faculty of Science Graduate School Research Prize for outstanding academic performance and achievements 2008

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Antoun, L, Woolley, R, Middleton, L, Smith, P, Saridogan, E, Cooper, KG, McKinnon, W, Bevan, S, Ziomek, K, Sairally, BZ, Jones, L, Fullard, J, Morgan, M & Clark, TJ 2025, '', BMJ open.

Jones, L, Delicate, A, Waigwa, S, Hodgetts Morton, V, Morris, RK, Whitehurst, J, Hillman, S & Chapter Collaborative Group 2025, '', BMJ open, vol. 15, no. 4, e088248.

Watkins, R, Jones, L, Clare, K, Coulman, K, Greaves, C, Jolly, K, Shuttlewood, E & Parretti, H 2025, '', Clinical Obesity.

Dunlop, CL, Kilpatrick, C, Jones, L, Bonet, M, Allegranzi, B, Brizuela, V, Graham, W, Thompson, A, Cheshire, J & Lissauer, D 2024, '', BMJ open, vol. 14, no. 9, e083132.

CHAPTER Group, Hodgetts Morton, V, Man, R, Perry, R, Hughes, T, Tohill, S, MacArthur, C, Magill, L & Morris, RK 2024, '', BMJ open, vol. 14, no. 5, e086724.

Molloy, E, Pilarski, N, Morris, K, Hodgetts-Morton, V & Jones, L 2024, '', European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, vol. 296, pp. 170-178.

Antoun, L, Middleton, L, Smith, P, Saridogan, E, Cooper, K, Brocklehurst, P, McKinnon, W, Bevan, S, Woolley, R, Jones, L, Fullard, J, Morgan, M, Roberts, T & Clark, TJ 2023, '', BMJ open, vol. 13, no. 9, e070218.

Jones, LL, Costello, BD, Danks, E, Jolly, K, Cross鈥怱udworth, F, Byrne, A, Fassam鈥怶right, M, Latthe, P, Clarke, J, Adbi, A, Abdi, H, Abdi, H & Taylor, J 2023, '', BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, vol. 130, no. 5, pp. 531-540.

Jones, L, Danks, E, Costello, B, Jolly, K, Cross-Sudworth, F, Latthe, P, Fassam-Wright, M, Clarke, J, Byrne, A & Taylor, J 2023, '', Health Technology Assessment, vol. 27, no. 3. <>

Jones, J, Jones, L, Calvert, M, Damery, S & Mathers, J 2022, '', The International Journal of Qualitative Methods, vol. 21, pp. 1-12.

Molloy, E, Pilarski, N, Morris, RK, Morton, V & Jones, L 2022, '', European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, vol. 279, pp. 27-39.

Preprint

Jones, L, Costello, B, Danks, E, Jolly, K, Cross-Sudworth, F, Byrne, A, Fassam-Wright, M, Latthe, P, Clarke, J, Abdi, A, Abdi, H, Abdi, H & Taylor, J 2022 ''.

Review article

Ladi-Akinyemi, TW, Pallan, M, Jones, L & Jackson, LJ 2025, '', BMJ open, vol. 15, no. 3, e092837.

Blackburn, A, Jones, L, Morton, V, Morris, RK, Yates, D & Delicate, A 2025, '', Women and Birth, vol. 38, no. 3, 101907.

Alhendyani, F, Jolly, K & Jones, L 2022, '', PLOS One, vol. 17, no. 2, e0263234.

Expertise

Women's Health; Maternal Health; Female Genital Mutilation; Pelvic Organ Prolapse; Qualitative Research Methods; Clinical Trials; Cross-culture and multi-language Qualitative Research; Sensitive Qualitative Research

Media experience

BBC Radio 4 -