HEDS PhD Focus - Hannah Penton - The validity and acceptability of existing measures of health and social care related quality of life and wellbeing in older people.

Hannah Penton

On the HEDS Blog we like to regularly highlight our talented PhD students and the excellent research they are undertaking in Sheffield. This time it is the turn of Hannah Penton to talk about her work.

My name is Hannah Penton and I am in the third year of my PhD in HEDS. Prior to starting my PhD, I graduated from the MSc Health Economics and Decision Modelling, also in ScHARR. My PhD investigates the validity and acceptability of existing measures of health and social care related quality of life and wellbeing in older people. This includes psychometric analysis of the EQ-5D-5L, SF-12, ASCOT, WEMWBS and ONS-4 using item response theory and differential item functioning methods and qualitative investigation of the content validity of a selection of these measures in older people.

My PhD is part of a White Rose network (match funded by CLAHRC), alongside PhD students in Leeds and York. My supervisors, Dr Tracey Young, Christopher Dayson and Dr Claire Hulme, are spread across three institutions (University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam and University of Leeds). Within the network our PhDs investigate related topics and we have regular joint meetings with all of our supervisors to discuss progress and issues, which can be of great help. I think networks such as these offer great opportunities for students in terms of wider training and support networks and I hope more PhDs can be run this way in the future.