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Dr Valerie Shilling

Dr Val Shilling

Dr Valerie Shilling (CPsychol, AFBPsS)

Senior Research Fellow
E: V.M.Shilling@sussex.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1273 873034
Location: Sussex Health Outcomes Research & Education in Cancer (SHORE-C), Room 11, Science Park Road, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9PX

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

Areas of expertise: Psychosocial oncology

Research areas: Health related quality of life, development of patient reported outcome measures for cancer patients and information for caregivers

Biography

Dr Valerie Shilling completed her undergraduate degree and PhD in psychology at Manchester University. Her PhD looked at cognitive changes with normal ageing. Her research career has included adult psychosocial oncology, child health and childhood disability. She has worked on a number of projects in psychosocial oncology including studies looking at the impact of chemotherapy and hormone therapies on cognitive function, and the development and validation of patient reported outcome measures for cancer patients and their caregivers. Most recently Val has been Programme Manager for the national Cancer Quality of Life Survey at the NHS Cancer Programme. She re-joined SHORE-C in April 2023.

Research

Val is a senior research fellow at Sussex Health Outcomes Research and Education in Cancer (SHORE-C). The central aim of SHORE-C is to conduct pragmatic research in psychosocial oncology. 

Work includes:

  1. Measuring quality of Life in clinical trials of cancer therapy
  2. Designing Patient Reported Outcome (PRO) measures
  3. Developing and evaluating supportive interventions to help patients deal with side-effects
  4. Producing educational materials and helping to improve communication skills of Cancer Healthcare Professionals

Please visit the SHORE-C website for more details about the full range of research.

Selected publications

Botham J, Shilling V, Jones J. Patient and public understanding of the concept of 'personalised medicine' in relation to cancer treatment: a systematic review, Future Healthcare Journal, Published November 2021 https://doi.org/10.7861/fhj.2021-0063

Starkings R, Shilling V, Fallowfield L. An online review of informational sources for advanced or high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Supportive Care in Cancer, 2021; 29:4199-4207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06034-x

Starkings R, Shilling V, Jenkins V, Fallowfield L A structured review of quality of life in advanced and high‐risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma shows the need for more studies and better measures, Skin Health and Disease, 1(3): e39. https://doi.org/10.1002/ski2.39

Shilling, V., Catt, S., Jenkins, V. et al. Using patient perspectives to inform communication training materials for health care professionals discussing BRCA mutation testing. Breast Cancer Res Treat 184,491–498 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-020-05871-4

Harder, H., Shilling, V.M., May, S.F. et al. The development and initial evaluation of the Diarrhoea Management Diary (DMD) in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2020;183:629–638 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-020-05798-w

Starkings, R., Shilling, V., Jenkins, V. et al. A systematic review of communication interventions to help healthcare professionals discuss genetic testing for breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2020; 183,9–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-020-05741-z

Starkings, R. Jenkins, V. Shilling, V. Insights into the use of social comparisons within an advanced cancer setting. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research and Practice. 2019; 1(2): p-e6

Shilling, V. Starkings, R. Jenkins, V. Cella, D. Fallowfield, L. Development and validation of the caregiver roles and responsibilities scale in cancer caregivers. Quality of Life Research. 2019; 28(6): 1655-1668. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02154-4

Shilling, V. Starkings, R. Jenkins, V. Cella, D. Fallowfield, L. Development and validation of the patient roles and responsibilities scale in cancer patients. Quality of Life Research. 2018; 27(11): 2923-2934. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-1940-2

Shilling, V. Starkings R, Jenkins, V. Fallowfield, L. The pervasive nature of uncertainty—a qualitative study of patients with advanced cancer and their informal caregivers. Journal of Cancer Survivorship. 2017, 11(5), 590-603  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-017-0628-x

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