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Dr Helena Harder

Research Fellow
E: H.Harder@sussex.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1273 873029
Location: Sussex Health Outcomes Research & Education in Cancer (SHORE-C) – Room 6, BSMS, Science Park Road, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9RX

DA: Holly Cowlan
E: H.Cowlan@sussex.ac.uk
T: +44(0)1273 873019

Area of expertise: Psychosocial oncology

Research areas: health-related quality of life; patient reported outcomes; supportive cancer care; cancer-related cognitive impairment; mHealth

Biography

Dr Helena Harder worked for many years within clinical practice and academic research in the Netherlands after obtaining an MSc in Psychology at Utrecht University. She was awarded her PhD in 2007 from the Erasmus University Rotterdam for research funded by the Dutch Cancer Society and conducted at the Erasmus MC Cancer Institute. After living and working at Patan Academy of Health Sciences in Nepal for three years, she moved to the UK in 2009 to continue her academic career. She worked as a researcher at Surrey Community Health (NHS), and joined Sussex Health Outcomes Research and Education in Cancer (SHORE-C) in November 2010 as a Research Fellow. She is also clinically qualified and registered in the UK in 2011 as Clinical Psychologist (HCPC).

Research

Dr Helena Harder is based at Sussex Health Outcomes Research and Education in Cancer (SHORE-C) at BSMS. The central aim of SHORE-C is to conduct pragmatic research in psychosocial oncology. Helena’s research interests include: assessment of cognitive effects of cancer treatment; health-related quality of life; complementary cancer treatment or interventions (yoga, physical activity); treatment decision-making in older women with breast cancer; and the use of mHealth in cancer recovery and rehabilitation. Please visit the SHORE-C website for more details about the full range of research.

Dr Harder’s previous research focussed on neuro-rehabilitation evaluation, post-stroke anxiety, and longitudinal cognitive effects of intensive cancer treatment for haematological malignancies, particularly in bone marrow or stem cell transplantation recipients and patients with primary CNS lymphoma.

Publications

Lifford K, Edwards A, Burton M, Harder H, Armitage F, Morgan J, et al. Efficient development and usability testing of decision support interventions for older women with breast cancer. Patient Preference and Adherence (In Press)

Catt, S, Sheward J, Sheward E, Harder H. Cancer survivors’ experiences of a community-based cancer-specific exercise programme: results of an exploratory survey. Supportive Care in Cancer 2018, 26:3209-16

Harder H, Patrick Holroyd P, Burkinshaw L, et al. A user-centred approach to developing bWell a mobile app for arm and shoulder exercises after breast cancer treatment. J Cancer Surviv 2017, 11:732-42

Collins K, Reed M, Lifford K, Burton M, Edwards A, Ring A, Brain K, Harder H, et al. Bridging the age gap in breast cancer: evaluation of decision support interventions for older women with operable breast cancer: protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2017, 7:e015133

Jenkins V, Thwaites R, Cercignani M, Sacre S, Harrison N, Whiteley‑Jones H, Mullen L, Chamberlain G, Davies K, Zammit C, Matthews L, Harder H. A feasibility study exploring the role of pre-operative assessment when examining the mechanism of ‘chemo-brain’ in breast cancer patients. SpringerPlus 2016, 5:390

Kneebone II, Fife-Schaw C, Lincoln NB, Harder H. A study of the validity and the reliability of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory in screening for anxiety after stroke in older inpatients. Clinical Rehabilitation 2016, 30:1220-8

Menlove L, Crayton E, Kneebone I, Allen-Crooks R, Otto E, Harder H. Predictors of anxiety after stroke: a systemic review of observational studies. J Stroke Cerebr Dis 2015, 24:1107-17

Harder H, Langridge C, Solis-Trapala I, et al. Post-operative exercises after breast cancer surgery: Results of a RCT evaluating standard care versus standard care plus additional yoga exercise. Eur J Integr Med 2015, 7:202-10

Stoner KL, Harder H, Fallowfield LJ, Jenkins VA. Intravenous versus Subcutaneous Drug Administration. Which do Patients Prefer? A Systematic Review. The Patient - Patient-Centred Outcomes Research 2015, 8:145-53

Harder H, Ballinger R, Langridge C, et al. Adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly women with breast cancer: patients’ perspectives on information giving and decision making. Psycho Oncol 2013, 22:2729-35

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