Dr Jonathan Mathers

Jonathan Mathers

Department of Applied Health Sciences
Associate Professor in Qualitative and Mixed Methods Applied Research

Contact details

Email
j.m.mathers@bham.ac.uk
Address
Department of Applied Health Sciences
Murray Learning Centre
College of Medicine and Health
University 麻豆精选
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Jonathan is an Associate Professor in Qualitative and Mixed Methods Applied Health Research.  He has broad based expertise in the application of qualitative and mixed methods research approaches in a range of applied health and policy contexts.

Qualifications

Associate Professor in Qualitative and Mixed Methods Applied Health Research

  • PhD (by publication), University 麻豆精选, 2011
  • MPH, University 麻豆精选, 2003
  • MSc, University of Hull, 1994
  • BSc, University of Derby, 1993

Biography

Jonathan is currently the qualitative research lead for several UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded studies, that include clinical trials, trial feasibility studies and standalone qualitative research projects.  This research includes qualitative work with patients, parents of paediatric patients and a range of clinical staff.  

He has previously conducted evaluations of complex policy interventions, including projects that have examined the expansion of undergraduate medical education across England, the New Deal for Communities regeneration programme and the English Health Trainers initiative. This work was supported by research funders including the National Institute for Health Research (Policy Research Programme) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Teaching

  • MBChB various teaching inc. module lead for Health Improvement Evidence Review (Year 3)
  • Public Health MPH/PGDip/PGCert
  • MSc Clinical Trials (Qualitative research and feasibility studies)
  • BMedSci PoSH programme (module lead for health research methods module)

Postgraduate supervision

Jonathan is interested in supervising PhD students in areas related to his current research interests.

Research

Jonathan's research interests include the application of qualitative methodologies to understand the patient experience of disease and treatments and how those insights translate to issues including;

  • The content and selection of outcomes for clinical research and practice;
  • the acceptability of treatments and the related feasibility of clinical trials;
  • adaptation to chronic disease and the role of medical and surgical treatments in this including issues related to treatment burden.

Jonathan is currently conducting research in a range of clinical areas including leading qualitative research in Burns aftercare, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Atrial Fibrillation, Growth Hormone Deficiency and others.

Current projects

  • Co-production of support for parents administering dressing changes at home in paediatric burns (NIHR)
  • Discontinuation of Growth Hormone Therapy in children (NIHR – GHD Reversal Study)
  • TREATS-AF: Educational intervention versus usual care on anticoagulation therapy control based on a
  • SAMe-TT2R2 score-guided therapy (MRC)
  • Enteral nutrition in Crohn’s surgery (OCEAN – NIHR)

Other activities

Jonathan is the Academic Operations Lead in Birmingham for the NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) delivered by the University 麻豆精选 and partners.  As such he works with a range of applied health researchers and methodologists to support researchers developing applications for research funding to national peer-reviewed funding streams.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

CALIBRE Trial, Tripathi, D, Handley, K, Holden, L, Abdali, Z, Jowett, S, Mathers, J, Poyner, C, Richardson, P, Ferguson, J & Rowe, IA 2025, '', Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, pp. 1-15.

Jiraporncharoen, W, Buawangpong, N, Angkurawaranon, C, Jolly, K, Thomas, GN, Phrommintikul, A, Krittayaphong, R, Nathisuwan, S, Lip, G, Lane, D, Mathers, J & TREATS-AF consortium 2025, '', British Medical Journal Open.

Blackwell, S, Clifford, S, Pinkney, T, Thompson, D & Mathers, J 2024, '', Colorectal Disease, pp. 1-14.

TREATS-AF Study Group, Phrommintikul, A, Nathisuwan, S, Wongcharoen, W, Krittayaphong, R, Gunaparn, S, Wongthanee, A, Mathers, J, Jowett, S, Jolly, K, Lane, DA, Thomas, GN & Lip, GYH 2024, '', JACC: Asia.

Thompson, DM, Bernard, M, Maxfield, B, Halsall, T & Mathers, J 2023, '', Discover Mental Health, vol. 3, no. 1, 18.

Brettell, E, H枚gler, W, Woolley, R, Cummins, C, Mathers, J, Oppong, R, Roy, L, Khan, A, Hunt, C & Dattani, M 2023, '', Trials, vol. 24, no. 1, 548.

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

Young, A, Davies, AM, Tsang, C, Kirkham, JJ, Potokar, T, Gibran, N, Tyack, Z, Meirte, J, Harada, T, Dheansa, B, Dumville, JC, Metcalfe, C, Ahuja, R, Wood, F, Gaskell, S, Brookes, S, Smailes, S, Jeschke, M, Cinar, MA, Zia, N, Moghazy, A, Mathers, J, Falder, S, Edgar, D & Blazeby, JM 2022, '', BMJ Medicine, vol. 1, e000183.

Mathers, J, Poyner, C, Thompson, D, Rudge, G & Pritchett, R 2022, '', BMJ open, vol. 12, no. 4, e056606.

Thompson, D, Thomas, C, Hyde, L, Wilson, Y, Moiemen, N & Mathers, J 2021, '', Burns.

Thompson, D, Thomas, C, Hyde, L, Wilson, Y, Moiemen, N & Mathers, J 2021, '', Burns.

Poyner, C, Tripathi, D & Mathers, J 2021, '', BMJ Open Gastroenterology, vol. 8, no. 1, e000684.

NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery 2021, '', Trials, vol. 22, no. 1, 471.

Abstract

Mathers, J, Poyner, C, Thompson, D, Rudge, G & Pritchett, R 2021, '', The Lancet, vol. 398, no. Supplement 2, S73.

Review article

Thompson, D, Booth, L, Moore, D & Mathers, J 2022, '', BMC Health Services Research, vol. 22, no. 1, 427 .