Biography
Melanie leads the Long-Term Conditions Research Group in the PCU. She has been at the Department of Public Health for 14 years, following an earlier career as an RAF officer. She shares her time and projects between Cambridge and UEA as a senior research fellow in the health sciences faculty. Her team is currently funded by the NIHR, LUPUS UK, Vasculitis UK and The lupus trust on several research studies. Her PhD was entitled “The impact of patient-clinician interactions on patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases”. She is passionate about equality and consistency of care for all, and all research fully involving patients as equal collaborators.
Her research has generated significant media interest, with one study reported on the front page of The Times, and has been described by patients as “life-changing” particularly in highlighting that they are not alone in experiencing these symptoms and medical experiences.
Listen to Melanie on this Podcast (May 24) with British Society of Rheumatology explaining the INSPIRE study findings: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1972486/15123942
Research
Research
Melanie’s research interests are primarily in improving relationships between clinicians and patients, and designing and trialling interventions to improve the lives and care of patients with systemic autoimmune diseases. Melanie is currently principal investigator on the following studies:
INSPIRE (Investigating Neuropsychiatric Symptom Prevalence and Impact in Rheumatology patient Experiences): An international observational study investigating and comparing patient and clinician views and experiences. Sub-studies of INSPIRE include: eliciting and reporting of mental health symptoms; hallucinations and nightmares, and prodromes and triggers of flares.
ADAPT (Adapting: Disease self-management and Adapting by Psychosocial Trials of remote interventions): A randomised controlled trial investigating acceptability (phase 1), feasibility and effectiveness (phase 2) of several interventions that can be received at home. These currently include: a text message/video information and support programme, The Wren listening therapy, and an online exercise programme. Phase 2 of ADAPT (exercise) is being funded by NIHR. The ADAPT team is also focusing on impact and adapting to life with autoimmune diseases.
SEEN (Support, Empower, Empathise, Normalise) and HEARD (Hearing Everyone with Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases): A pilot trial to improve the rheumatology consultation and increase eliciting and reporting of mental health symptoms.
Menopause MATTERs: An observational study exploring various aspects of hormones and menopause in people with, and without, autoimmune diseases.
Inequalities: Although reducing inequalities in research and care underpins all of the LTC group’s research, the inequalities team focuses on exploring the perspectives and experiences of specific under-served sub-groups. Currently this includes minoritised ethnicities, people on very low incomes and/or those experiencing homelessness, and other sociodemographic characteristics that can be associated with more difficulty in accessing/receiving good care.
Reducing inequalities and involving patients as equals at every stage of the research is a core ethos of all of Melanie’s research teams.
Publications
Recent relevant publications
- Sloan M, Bourgeois J, Leschziner G, et al. Neuropsychiatric prodromes and symptom timings in relation to disease onset and/or flares in SLE: results from the mixed methods international INSPIRE study. The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102634
- Sloan M, Bosley, Gordon et al . “I still can’t forget those words”: mixed methods study of the persisting impact on patients reporting psychosomatic and psychiatric misdiagnoses. Rheumatology, keaf115, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keaf115. Published: 03 March 2025
- Sloan M, Pollak T A, Massou L et al. Neuropsychiatric symptoms in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: mixed methods analysis of patient-derived attributional evidence in the international INSPIRE project, Rheumatology, March 2024;, keae194, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keae194
- Sloan M, Andreoli L, Zandi M, et al. Attribution of neuropsychiatric symptoms and prioritisation of evidence in the diagnosis of neuropsychiatric lupus: mixed methods analysis of patient and clinician perspectives from the international INSPIRE study. Rheumatology, Dec 2023; kead685, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/kead685
- Sloan M, Wincup C, Harwood R, et al. Prevalence and identification of neuropsychiatric symptoms in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases: an international mixed methods study. Rheumatology, July 2023; kead369, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/kead369
- D’Cruz D, Sloan M. Clinical observation: Are nightmares a manifestation of neuropsychiatric lupus? Rheumatology, Volume 62, Issue 6, June 2023, Pages 2030–2031, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keac655 (Editorial)
- Sloan M, Harwood R, Gordon C, Bosley M, Lever E, Modi R, Blane M, Brimicombe J, Barrere C, Holloway L, Sutton S, D'Cruz D. Will 'the feeling of abandonment' remain? Persisting impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on rheumatology patients and clinicians. Rheumatology, Volume 61, Issue 9, September 2022, Pages 3723–3736, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keab937
- Sloan M, Lever E, Harwood R, Gordon C, Wincup C, Blane M, Brimicombe J, Lanyon P, Howard P, Sutton S, D'Cruz D, Naughton F. Telemedicine in rheumatology: A mixed methods study exploring acceptability, preferences and experiences among patients and clinicians. Rheumatology, Volume 61, Issue 6, June 2022, Pages 2262–2274, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keab796
- Sloan M, Lever E, Gordon C, Harwood R, Georgopoulou S, Naughton F, Wincup C, Sutton S, D'Cruz D. Medication decision-making and adherence in lupus: Patient-physician discordance and the impact of previous 'Adverse Medical Experiences'. Rheumatology, Volume 61, Issue 4, April 2022, Pages 1417–1429, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keab534
- Sloan M, Bosley M, Blane M, Holloway L, Barrere C, D'Cruz D, Walia C, Naughton F, Howard P, Sutton S, Gordon C. 'But you don't look sick': a qualitative analysis of the LUPUS UK online forum. Rheumatol Int 41, 721–732 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-020-04726-x
- Sloan M, Gordon C, Harwood R, Lever E, Wincup C, Bosley M, Brimicombe J, Pilling M, Sutton S, Holloway L, D'Cruz D. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the medical care and health-care behaviour of patients with lupus and other systemic autoimmune diseases: a mixed methods longitudinal study. , Rheumatology Advances in Practice, Volume 5, Issue 1, 2021, rkaa072, https://doi.org/10.1093/rap/rkaa072
- Sloan M, Naughton F, Harwood R, Lever E, D'Cruz D, Sutton S, Walia C, Howard P, Gordon C. Is it me? The impact of patient-physician interactions on lupus patients' psychological well-being, cognition and health-care-seeking behaviour. Rheumatology Advances in Practice, Volume 4, Issue 2, 2020, rkaa037, https://doi.org/10.1093/rap/rkaa037.
- Proctor J, Naughton F, Sloan M, Hopewell S, Brimicombe J, Prevost AT, Wilson ECF, Coleman T, Sutton S. Assessment of the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Tailored Web- and Text-Based Smoking Cessation Support in Primary Care (iQuit in Practice II): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2020 Jul
- Sloan M, Harwood R, Sutton S, D'Cruz D, Howard P, Wincup C, Brimicombe J, Gordon C. Medically explained symptoms: a mixed methods study of diagnostic, symptom and support experiences of patients with lupus and related systemic autoimmune diseases. Rheumatology Advances in Practice, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2020, rkaa006, https://doi.org/10.1093/rap/rkaa006
- Blamont E, Farrington S, Glover-Southworth N, Cornwell G, Gibson L, Sloan M, Hughes M. A Scleroderma and Raynaud's UK (SRUK) national survey to explore rheumatologists' awareness, approaches to diagnosis and management and training needs within systemic sclerosis. Rheumatol Adv Pract. 2024 Dec 20;9(1):rkae152. doi: 10.1093/rap/rkae152. eCollection 2025.PMID: 39830596
Media impact
Melanie’s research has received extensive media coverage of many published papers including interviews on Radio Two, and her research reported on the front page of The Times: Web or phone medical appointments ‘disastrous’ for some patients (thetimes.co.uk). Additional studies have been reported in the Guardian: Patients’ experiences of disease should be taken more seriously, says study | Health | The Guardian , Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/20/vivid-nightmares-early-warning-sign-lupus-autoimmune/ and the independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/nightmares-lupus-immune-disease-hallucinations-b2548393.html
Melanie has written for The Conversation several times:
- Doctors rank patients' own assessment of their illness as least important in diagnosis – new study (theconversation.com)
- Nightmares could be an early warning sign of an autoimmune disease flare-up – new study (theconversation.com)
- ‘All in your head’: when doctors misdiagnose autoimmune disease as psychosomatic
