Sandra Peniston (School of Health in Social Science PhD Studentships)
Thesis title: Dissertation Title: Development and Feasibility Testing of a Co-Produced Primary Health Care Intervention for Rural Adults with Undiagnosed and Uncontrolled Hypertension in Ghana
Postgraduate Researcher – PhD Candidate, Nursing Studies, School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh
- School of Nursing
- School of Health in Social Science
- Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research
Contact details
- Email: s.peniston@sms.ed.ac.uk
Background
Sandra is a nurse academic from York University, Toronto, Canada, and an adult Nurse Practitioner. She is currently a first-year PhD student in Nursing Studies and recipient of a School of Health in Social Science PhD Studentship (2022-2025). Sandra has been volunteering and conducting research in northern Ghana since 2010. As a member of the Ghana Health Team from 2010 to 2019, she worked with Ghanaian healthcare professionals and volunteers to drive health equity in resource-poor communities. Her area of research is cardiovascular diseases and how risk factors influence them. In a previous study conducted in Northern Ghana, she examined CVD occurrence and risk factors among adults over 40 years of age. A fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular event was at risk for 10.4% of the population with high rates of undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes. Sandra’s objective of her doctoral thesis is to respond to the inadequate diagnosis and suboptimal control of hypertension and diabetes for adults in rural Northern Ghana by developing and feasibility-testing a co-produced primary healthcare intervention. Her proposed study will follow the process defined by the six steps in quality intervention development (6SQuID) framework to co-develop an intervention and feasibility study through a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods.
Qualifications
PhD Candidate - University of Edinburgh
Master of Nursing
Nurse Practioner - Adult
Responsibilities & affiliations
Assistant Professor - School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto Canada
PhD Candidate - University of Edinburgh
Undergraduate teaching
2019-Present Assistant Professor, Tenure Track, Primary Health Care & Global Context of Nursing
School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, York University
2015-2019 Sessional Lecturer, Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Health, York University
2012-2019 Sessional Lecturer, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, York University
Open to PhD supervision enquiries?
No
Research summary
Sandra is a nurse academic from York University, Toronto, Canada, and an adult Nurse Practitioner. She is currently a first-year PhD student in Nursing Studies and recipient of a School of Health in Social Science PhD Studentship (2022-2025). Sandra has been volunteering and conducting research in northern Ghana since 2010. As a member of the Ghana Health Team from 2010 to 2019, she worked with Ghanaian healthcare professionals and volunteers to drive health equity in resource-poor communities. Her area of research is cardiovascular diseases and how risk factors influence them. In a previous study conducted in Northern Ghana, she examined CVD occurrence and risk factors among adults over 40 years of age. A fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular event was at risk for 10.4% of the population with high rates of undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes. Sandra’s objective of her doctoral thesis is to respond to the inadequate diagnosis and suboptimal control of hypertension and diabetes for adults in rural Northern Ghana by developing and feasibility-testing a co-produced primary healthcare intervention. Her proposed study will follow the process defined by the six steps in quality intervention development (6SQuID) framework to co-develop an intervention and feasibility study through a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods.
Current research interests
Noncommunicable diseases in LMICs / African Region Hypertension Health equity / access to care Intervention Development Primary care / primary health carePast research interests
Sustainable Development Goals Education for SustainabilityAffiliated research centres
Project activity
Postgraduate Researcher – PhD Candidate, Nursing Studies, School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh
Dissertation Title: Development and Feasibility Testing of a Co-Produced Primary Health Care Intervention for Rural Adults with Undiagnosed and Uncontrolled Hypertension in Ghana
Current project grants
2022 School of Health in Social Science PhD Studentship, University of Edinburgh, UK
2022 Academic Innovation Fund Category 1 Grant, York University, Toronto Canada ($300,000).
2021 Globally Networked Learning Award. York University, Toronto Canada ($1000.00)
2020 Academic Innovation Fund Category 1 Grant, York University, Toronto Canada ($24,000)
2019 Minor Research Grant, York University ($5000)
2018 Minor Research Grant, York University ($5000)
Invited speaker
2023 van Daalen-Smith, C., Peniston, S., & Bhatia, N., (2023, May 29). More than Bees and Trees: Infusing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in our Classrooms [Workshop]. Career Corner Events, Congress 2023 of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, York University, Toronto ON.
2023 Peniston, S. (2023, May 18). Development and Feasibility Testing of a Co-Produced Primary Health Care Intervention in rural Northern Ghana for adults with undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension. [Conference Session]. PGR Conference, School of Health and Social Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
2023 Peniston, S. & Sutherland-Harris, R. (2023, March 29) Formative Assessment and the Sustainable Development Goals [Workshop]. Teaching Commons, York University, Toronto, ON
2022 Peniston, S., vanDaalen-Smith, C., Steele C., Bhatia, N. & Bhoola, T. (2022, September 19). The ‘SDGs-in-the-Classroom’ Curricular Innovation Hub: A Pan-University Interdisciplinary Scaffolded Strategy to Incubate and Accelerate the Infusion of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals into York’s Classrooms. [Conference Session]. 10th Annual International Conference on Sustainable Development. Virtual
2022 Peniston, S., Bhoola, T., & Bhatia, N. (2022, November 18). The SDGs in the Classroom Toolkit. [Conference Session]. Actionable Innovations Global’s 2022 Global Learning for an Open World Conference. Virtual
2022 Peniston, S. (2022, September 19).The ‘SDGs-in-the-Classroom’ Curricular Innovation Hub. [Conference Session]. 10th Annual International Conference on Sustainable Development. Virtual
2022 Peniston, S. (2022, July 20). Risk factor surveillance and management of hypertension and diabetes through a nurse-led primary healthcare model in Northern Ghana. [Conference Session]. International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing. Edinburgh UK