Research
Changing behaviour in
complex healthcare contexts.
Since graduating my PhD in 2020 I have delivered two NIHR-funded Health Services & Delivery Research grants as the sole research fellow — on time, each with several academic outputs including two 50,000-word NIHR reports and guides for healthcare professionals. Since my first publication in 2018 I have published 23 first-author papers, with an H-index of 14, 57% of publications in the top 25% cited worldwide, and a first-author field-weighted citation impact of 2.14 — more than double the global average.
Featured projects
BMC Medicine · BMC Health Services Research · Realist review
Understanding and reducing unprofessional behaviour between healthcare staff
Two years of realist review work producing the first cohesive programme theories explaining how unprofessional behaviours between healthcare staff arise — and how they can be addressed. The intervention paper was highlighted as Editor's Choice in BMC Medicine and sits in the 96th percentile on Altmetric. The work continues as a £700k NIHR mixed-methods study (Co-I) and a £300k NHS Race and Health Observatory project on racialised bullying and harassment (PI).
NIHR HS&DR · Realist evaluation · Policy analysis
How, when and why inter-organisational collaboration in the NHS works
Self-led work investigating the impact of the Health and Care Act 2022 on inter-organisational collaboration in the NHS, alongside a realist evaluation of partnering as an intervention for improvement. A framework I developed has been used by an NHS Mental Health Provider Collaborative to "reach a consensus that we'd failed to achieve for probably 10 months."
Midlands PSRC · CHEST · Patient safety
A safety net for earlier diagnosis of lung cancer
Leading novel research as PI on improving early diagnosis of lung cancer — including a systematic review in CHEST of interventions to improve guideline adherence for pulmonary nodule follow-up (with an invited journal podcast), qualitative work on the nodule care pathway in the NHS, and pump-prime funded data science work with University Hospitals Birmingham.
PhD · Randomised controlled feasibility trial
INTEREST: reducing sitting time in older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgery
The culmination of my European Commission-funded PhD: a behaviour change trial I developed, collected data for, and was Chief Investigator of, working with older osteoarthritic NHS patients to reduce sedentary behaviour.
Funding
Grants awarded
| Year | Grant | Funder | Role | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | NIHR internship award (with Naureen Ali) | NIHR | Co-lead | £8k |
| 2025 | Addressing racialised bullying and harassment in the NHS | NHS Race and Health Observatory | PI (15%) | £300k |
| 2025 | Staff development award (conference attendance) | University of Birmingham | — | £1,050 |
| 2024 | Understanding how unprofessional behaviour in English NHS Trusts can be prevented and reduced: a mixed-methods study | NIHR HS&DR | Co-I (20%) | £700k |
| 2024 | Equitable Palliative care In the Community through Primary Care (EPIC-PC), led by Dr Sarah Mitchell (Leeds) | NIHR | Co-I (5%) | £1m |
| 2024 | Adult Community Mental Health Literature Review | Care Quality Commission | Co-I | £50k |
| 2024 | Undergraduate internship application | NIHR | PI | £8.2k |
| 2024 | Understanding follow-up of pulmonary nodules at University Hospitals Birmingham to improve lung cancer survivability | UoB IIDSAI pump-prime funding | Co-PI | £19.5k |
| 2023 | Commercialisation Fellowship | University of Surrey | 0.5 FTE, 6 months | £16k |
| 2022 | Bursary to attend the OBHC 2022 Conference | Society for the Advancement of Management Studies | — | £250 |
Conferences
Selected presentations
- Apr 2026Oral presentation, HCSRN conferenceDallas, TX, USA
- Nov 2024Poster presentation, British Thoracic Society conference
- Sep 2024Poster presentation, ISQUA conferenceIstanbul, Turkey
- Jul 2024Oral presentation, HSR UK Conference"Understanding types of unprofessional behaviours between health care staff to inform effective interventions"
- Jul 2023HSR UK Conference presentation"Understanding and addressing unprofessional behaviours among healthcare staff in acute settings: a realist review"
- Sep 2021EHMA Conference presentationHow and why do inter-organisational collaborations drive performance improvements?
- May 2021IHPO Seminar SeriesHow, why, and when do inter-organisational collaborations in healthcare work?
- Nov 2020EHMA ConferenceAssessing the degrees and domains of integration: partnership working and its implications for providers in the English NHS
- Jul 2019European College of Sports Science (ECSS), PragueDebated poster — INTEREST randomised controlled feasibility study
Publications
Published & accepted work
2026
Adult Community Mental Health: A Rapid Realist Informed Literature Review
Fenton SJ, Aunger J, Ungureanu B, Posaner R, Bohm C, Millar R · Care Quality Commission Report
What drives unprofessional behaviour in healthcare?First author
Aunger JA, Maben J, Westbrook J, Wright J, Pearson M, Jones A, Mannion R · Nursing Times 122(5)
Addressing unprofessional behaviour in the NHS
Mannion R, Ferguson J, Aunger J, Maben J · British Journal of Healthcare Management
Formulating a typology of unprofessional behaviours between healthcare staff to improve intervention effectiveness: a best fit framework synthesisFirst author
Aunger JA, Abrams R, Mannion R, Jones A, Wright JM, Westbrook JI, Pearson M, Maben J · BMC Health Services Research
Can realist synthesis and evaluation be strengthened by integrating behavioural science? A framework for implementationFirst author
Aunger J, Aunger R · Evaluation
Accelerated Parallelised Realist-Informed Literature review (APRIL): a novel method for informing policy decision-making in accelerated (<1 month) timescalesFirst author
Aunger J, Fenton SJ, Ungureanu B, Posaner R, Bohm C, Millar R · International Journal of Qualitative Methods
The 'public' in public involvement: a call to centre frontline staff voices in health workforce research
Zhao Y, Aunger J, Garrett H, Hewitson P, Davies A, Pareek M, Molyneux S · Health Expectations
2025
Acceptability and use of clinical decision support tools in maternity settings: systematic review of qualitative studies
Kabeya V, Tariq S, Delicate A, Chong H, Aunger J, et al. · European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
Building an initial programme theory to explain how and why on-the-day surgery cancellations occur and how they might be reduced
Samarasinghe BS, Millar R, Exworthy M, Aunger J · BMC Health Services Research 25(1)
Systematically analysing behaviour change techniques used in 44 interventions to reduce unprofessional behaviour between healthcare staffFirst author
Aunger JA, Ungureanu B, Maben J, Abrams R, Turner AM, Westbrook JI · Translational Behavioral Medicine
Interventions to improve adherence to clinical guidelines for the management and follow-up of pulmonary nodules: a systematic reviewFirst author
Aunger JA, Yip KP, Dosanjh K, Scandrett K, Ungureanu B, Newnham M, Turner AM · CHEST
How unprofessional behaviours between healthcare staff threaten patient care and safetyFirst author
Aunger JA, Maben J, Westbrook JI · Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research
2024
Why do acute healthcare staff behave unprofessionally towards each other and how can these behaviours be reduced? A realist reviewFirst author
Aunger JA, Abrams R, Westbrook JI, Wright JM, Pearson M, Jones A, Mannion R, Maben J · NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research Journal
How can interventions more directly address drivers of unprofessional behaviour between healthcare staff?First author
Aunger JA, Abrams R, Mannion R, Westbrook JI, Jones A, et al. · BMJ Open Quality
Integration of primary care and palliative care services to improve equality and equity at the end-of-life: findings from realist stakeholder workshops
Mitchell S, Turner N, Fryer K, Aunger J, et al. · Palliative Medicine
2023
Interventions to address unprofessional behaviours between staff in acute care: what works for whom and why? A realist reviewJoint first author
Maben J*, Aunger JA*, Abrams R, Wright JM, Pearson M, et al. · BMC Medicine — Editor's Choice
Drivers of unprofessional behaviour between staff in acute care hospitals: a realist reviewJoint first author
Aunger JA*, Maben J*, Abrams R, Wright JM, et al. · BMC Health Services Research — BMC Series Highlight
Modelling lifecycles of inter-organizational collaborations in healthcare: a systematic review and best-fit framework synthesisFirst author
Aunger JA, Millar R, Greenhalgh J · Journal of Health Organization and Management
Towards achieving interorganisational collaboration between health-care providers: a realist evidence synthesis
Millar R, Aunger JA, Rafferty AM, et al. · Health and Social Care Delivery Research
2022
Objective and subjective measurement of sedentary behavior in human adults: a toolkitJoint first author
Aunger J*, Wagnild J* · American Journal of Human Biology
How, why, and when do inter-organisational collaborations in healthcare improve performance? A realist evaluationFirst author
Aunger J, Millar R, Greenhalgh J, et al. · Karger
Why do acute healthcare staff engage in unprofessional behaviours towards each other and how can these behaviours be reduced? A realist review protocol
Maben J, Aunger JA, Abrams R, Pearson M, et al. · BMJ Open
Collaboration over competition? Regulatory reform and inter-organisational relations in the NHS amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative studyFirst author
Aunger JA, Millar R, Rafferty AM, Mannion R · BMC Health Services Research
How, when, and why do inter-organisational collaborations in healthcare work? A realist evaluationFirst author
Aunger JA, Millar R, Rafferty AM, Mannion R, et al. · PLOS ONE
Knowledge of nutrition and physical activity guidelines is not associated with physical function in Dutch older adults
Ramsey KA, Yeung SSY, Rojer AGM, et al. · Clinical Interventions in Aging
The prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty among geriatric hospital inpatients and its association with economic prosperity and healthcare expenditure
Doody P, Asamane EA, Aunger JA, Swales B, et al. · Ageing Research Reviews
2021
When trust, confidence, and faith collide: refining a realist theory of how and why inter-organisational collaborations in healthcare workFirst author
Aunger JA, Millar R, Greenhalgh J · BMC Health Services Research
Why do some inter-organisational collaborations in healthcare work when others do not? A realist reviewFirst author
Aunger JA, Millar R, Greenhalgh J, Mannion R, et al. · Systematic Reviews
2020
Interventions to reduce sedentary time in older adults with and without mobility limitationFirst author
Aunger JA · Doctoral thesis, University of Birmingham
A novel behavioural INTErvention to REduce Sitting Time in older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgery (INTEREST): results of a randomised controlled trialFirst author
Aunger JA, Greaves CJ, Davis ET, Asamane EA, et al. · Aging Clinical and Experimental Research
Building an initial realist theory of partnering across National Health Service providersFirst author
Aunger JA, Millar R, Greenhalgh J, et al. · Journal of Integrated Care
2019
Physical activity and nutrition influences in ageing: current findings from the PANINI project
Cabbia A, Whittaker A, Asamane E, et al. · Advances in Geriatric Medicine and Research
Perceptions and factors influencing eating behaviours and physical function in community-dwelling ethnically diverse older adults
Asamane EA, Greig CA, Aunger JA, Thompson JL · Nutrients
A novel behavioural INTErvention to REduce Sitting Time in older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgery (INTEREST): protocol for a randomised controlled trialFirst author
Aunger JA, Greaves CJ, Davis ET, Greig CA · Pilot and Feasibility Studies
A randomised feasibility study to reduce sitting in older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgeryFirst author
Aunger JA, Greaves CT, Asamane EA, et al. · Innovation in Aging
Frailty Levels In Geriatric Hospital paTients (FLIGHT) — the prevalence of frailty among geriatric populations within hospital ward settings: a systematic review protocol
Doody P, Aunger J, Asamane E, Greig CA, Lord J, et al. · BMJ Open
2018
Interventions targeting sedentary behavior in non-working older adults: a systematic reviewFirst author
Aunger JA, Doody P, Greig CA · Maturitas