My research focusses on including traditionally excluded groups in care and service development. Working in collaboration with patients, organisations and academia, I use insights from Science and Technology Studies to inform this work. I am particularly interested in knowledge production, accountability, responsibility and care as results of interactions in sociotechnical systems.

My research programme (since 2017) has focussed on experiences of undergoing radiotherapy for gynaecological cancer, funded through four grants, NIHR Health Services and Delivery, MRC Proximity to Discovery, Northwest Cancer Research and ESRC Impact Accelerator Account (IAA) funding. 

The project aims for these projects were:

• to create new infrastructures for supporting consent conversations in gynae-radiotherapy,
• to increase understanding of how radiotherapy impacts on the sense of sexual self and on social and personal lives,
• to improve patient experiences of living with the social and personal impacts of radiotherapy, and
• to develop key competencies and guidance on talking about sexual wellbeing for practitioners working in radiotherapy.

I am currently joint lead on the GRACE project: Gynaecological RAdiotherapy Consent Enhancement, a £800k project examining how health services can better support people’s decision making when considering radiotherapy for gynaecological cancer.

I am also a co-investigator on an NIHR funded project looking at prehabilitation for cancer surgery, leading Work Package One, co-designing evaluation criteria for inclusive prehabilitation services.

Radiotherapy UK Talk, April, 2024 – Lisa Ashmore joined Holly Masters and Lorraine Groverthe to talk about Sexual Wellbeing and Cancer in the April RTUK Talk.

RadChat Podcast, July, 2022 – Lisa Ashmore was interviewed for the radiotherapy podcast, RadChat, about clinical academic careers and the Gynae narratives project.

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the field of Science and Technology Studies - in particular health or cancer technologies, experiences of health and technologies or workplace studies. I am particularly interested in supervising students with backgrounds in professional practice.

Prior to completing my PhD, I trained and worked as a Therapeutic Radiographer and some of my current work is based in the context of radiotherapy treatment for gynaecological cancer. My work is based on collaboration and engagement with NHS organisations and academic institutions and I am keen to apply participatory methods. The methods I use in my research include conducting workshops and focus groups but I also use other social science methods, such as ethnography (to explore cultures of practice) and narrative methods (to explore experiences of healthcare).

Link to GRACE website

Gynae Narratives Project Website

Registered Therapeutic Radiographer, Health and Care Professionas Council, RA39120