The Research Room

What does "safe" AI actually mean in healthcare?
When you think of artificial intelligence, you might picture chatbots or sci-fi robots. But right now, AI is quietly working behind the scenes in everyday healthcare, spotting strokes, reading lung scans, and helping doctors detect issues during routine procedures. This week we're chatting to Dr. Laura Fernley about her work investigating the ethical side of this clinical integration: asking whether the tech being introduced is truly ethical, how we evaluate its safety, and what we actually mean when we call an AI system "safe".
Plus we find out how modern philosophy isn't all about arguing with Aristotle!
Find out more about The Centre of Assuring Autonomy: https://www.york.ac.uk/assuring-autonomy/ 
Find out more about Laura's Work: https://laurafearnley.wordpress.com/ 
Music by Matthew Bailey
 

We're taking a summer holiday this week re-sharing one of our favourite episodes from last year, The BioDrive AFS trial!
Last year were joined by Professor David Allsup and Lydia Flett to discuss the BioDrive AFS study. We learn how the trial is tackling the tricky issue of fungal infections in blood cancer patients and exploring how biomarker-driven approaches could revolutionise treatment.
Plus, stick around to hear what research superpowers David and Lydia would pick!
 
Resources & Links from this Episode:
Find out more about BioDrive AFS here: https://biodrive-rct.com/ 
To get in touch with the BioDrive AFS team, email: biodrive-group@york.ac.uk 
Music by Matthew Bailey

Can creative arts break down the barriers surrounding young men’s mental health?
This week Lucy, Janine and guest host Hayley Stone sit down with Emma Standley, Matt Harper-Hardcastle, and Dr Jack Woodhams to discuss the Next Gen Menfulness Project. Discover how an exciting partnership between University of York researchers, Next Door But One Theatre Company and a men's mental health charity Menfulness is empowering young men in alternative provision schools to tell their own stories, challenge negative stereotypes, and shape future research. The team tackles the big conversations around boys' mental health, sharing how important positive role models and genuine connections are for shaping the next generation of men.
Join us as we trace their journey from the WhatsApp group to 10 Downing Street, and now into The Research Room!
 
Find out more about Menfulness: https://menfulness.org/
Find out more about Next Door But One: https://www.nextdoorbutone.co.uk/ 
 
Music by Matthew Bailey
 
 

What happens when the podcast hosts step out from behind the mic and into the guest seat?
In this special first birthday episode of The Research Room, co-hosts Lucy Atha and Janine Heeley from the York Trials Unit at the University of York join podcast intern Hayley Stone to celebrate a whole year of chatting with a purpose!
Listen as Hayley interviews Lucy and Janine about their journey creating the podcast, their favourite past episodes, and the behind-the-scenes recording mishaps they’ve navigated along the way. Looking to the future, they discuss their dream guests and aims of interviewing researchers across other university departments. Stay tuned until the very end to hear Lucy and Janine play a game of “who’s more likely to?” and find out which beverage and cake flavour best represent the podcast!
A huge thank you to all of our incredible previous guests and listeners who have tuned in and supported us over the past year!
Music by Matthew Bailey

How can cutting-edge augmented reality glasses transform traditional physiotherapy into engaging games for people living with Parkinson’s disease?
In this episode, Lucy and Janine are joined by Chief Investigator Professor Rory O'Connor from the University of Leeds and Barri Morgan Jones from Strolll to explore the RESTART-PD project. This innovative research initiative focuses on an essential clinical and digital health priority: improving movement, balance, and daily function for individuals living with Parkinson's disease.
Listen as we discuss the journey of utilising augmented reality headsets to turn standard, often repetitive rehabilitation exercises into fun, patient-centred games that can be played right at home. We discover the personal inspiration behind the Strolll technology behind this randomised controlled trial, and how remote clinical monitoring through a web portal dashboard can help support rehabilitation and tackle extensive NHS waiting lists.
 
Find out more about the RESTART-PD Trial: https://www.york.ac.uk/health-sciences/research/trials/ytutrialsandstudies/trials/restartpd/
Find out more about Strolll: https://www.strolll.co/
 
Music by Matthew Bailey

How can a massive, real-world database tracking nearly 60,000 patients revolutionise our understanding of blood cancer treatment and patient care?
In this episode, Lucy and Janine are joined by Professor Alex Smith and Professor Debra Howell from the University of York’s Epidemiology & Cancer Statistics Group to explore the Haematological Malignancy Research Network (HMRN). This major research initiative focuses on a critical health priority: collecting granular, population-based data to transform the care pathways for those diagnosed with blood cancers.
Listen as we discuss the journey of building a 20-year registry that captures the detailed care pathway for over 100 different subtypes of blood cancer. We discover the powerful methodology behind combining large-scale epidemiology with qualitative patient interviews—revealing how real-world survival rates have doubled for certain conditions, the emotional anxieties of the "watch and wait" approach, and what the future holds for cutting-edge treatments like CAR T-cell therapy. PLUS, we find out what happens when "symbiotic nerds" unite to put the patient's lived experience at the absolute centre of data science!
 
HMRN website: https://hmrn.org/
HMRN Publications: https://hmrn.org/publications/papers
Music by Matthew Bailey

How can an adapted, chair-based yoga program improve the quality of life for older adults living with multiple long-term health conditions? 
 
In this episode Lucy and guest host Emma are joined by Dr Laura Wiley from the University of York and Dr Lesley Ward from Northumbria University to explore the Gentle Years Yoga project. This major research initiative focused on a critical health priority: improving the quality of life for older adults living with multiple health conditions.
 
Listen as we discuss the journey of utilising a chair-based yoga programme developed by the British Wheel of Yoga to make the practice accessible outside of typical high-street studios. We discover the methodology behind this  randomised controlled trial as well as the qualitative data whic revealed the transformative impact that yoga can have. PLUS we get to hear the results!
 
Find out more about the Gentle Years Yoga Trial: https://www.york.ac.uk/health-sciences/research/trials/ytutrialsandstudies/archive/gyy-trial/
Results paper 1: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39259017/
Results paper 2: https://openresearch.nihr.ac.uk/articles/3-52/v2
Proces evaluation paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40098115/
 
Music by Matthew Bailey

Did you know that persistent loneliness is as damaging to your physical health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day?
For the final episode of our mental health mini-series, we’re joined by Dr Liz Littlewood and Professor Simon Gilbody from the University of York to explore the BASIL project. This massive research initiative stepped up during a global crisis to tackle a critical but overlooked issue: the mental health, depression, and rising isolation of older adults.
Listen as we discuss the incredible journey of adapting brief psychological support into a fully remote, "telephone-first" intervention. We dive into how behavioural activation helps people reconnect with what brings value to their lives, stripping away "psychobabble" to keep things straightforward and co-produced alongside experts and users. They also share the historic scale of the BASIL+ trial, the largest ever randomised controlled trial of its kind, and how its positive results are shaping the future of NHS care by moving from treatment to prevention.
Tune in to find out how a brief series of 30-minute phone calls managed to create a sustained reduction in depression 12 months down the line, and stick around for the end to hear a joke from the TV show Friends!
 
Find out more about BASIL: https://sites.google.com/nihr.ac.uk/basil/
Read the results paper:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666756823002386
 
Music by Matthew Bailey

How can digging into the past protect the future of mental health for older people in custody?
For the next episode in our mental health mini-series, we’re joined by Professor Amanda Perry and Professor John Schofield to explore the PAMHOP project. This pioneering feasibility study is tackling a critical but overlooked issue: the mental and physical wellbeing of older people in custody by introducing co-produced, interactive workshops directly in prison sites.
Listen as we discuss the massive gap in current research including a systematic review that did not find a single randomized controlled trial for this demographic. We dive into how the team designed and delivered custom interactive sessions, from archaeology activities to craft sessions and book clubs, with the goal of improving overall wellbeing. They also share how these insights are being used to develop a dedicated toolkit, providing prisons with a concrete framework to support mental and physical health of older people in custody. 
Tune in to find out what happened when a workshop unexpectedly turned into a group song, and see how collaborating with the Prison Radio Association is amplifying the voices and restoring the confidence of people in custody!
 
Find out more about PAMHOP: https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/mental-health/projects/physical-mental-health-older-prisoners/
 
Music by Matthew Bailey

With nearly 2.9 million people in the UK now economically inactive due to illness, how can we balance the drive for national productivity with the personal need for mental health recovery?
 
For the next episode in our mental health mini-series, we’re joined by Professor Rowena Jacobs and Professor Lina Gega to discuss the Support2Work project. This comprehensive national evaluation is investigating the impact of placing employment advisors directly into NHS Talking Therapies to help individuals navigate work-related challenges alongside their psychological treatment.
 
Listen as we chat about the staggering £200 billion annual cost of economic inactivity and whether combining practical job support with therapy offers better value for taxpayers than therapy alone. We explore the unique "UK-specific" nature of this crisis and how the team is using a mixed methods analysis and an elephant analogy to translate complex health economics into life-changing policy.
 
Tune in to hear how the project’s name, suggested by a service user, won over our hosts, and how these practical pathways to impact are helping to bridge the gap between clinical care and the labour market!
 
Find out more about Support2work: https://www.york.ac.uk/che/mental-health/support2work/