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Dr Ona L McCarthy

Assistant Professor

United Kingdom

I am an epidemiologist and my research involves quantitative and qualitative methods to develop and evaluate sexual and reproductive health interventions in a range of different settings. I completed my MSc in 2005 and PhD in 2019, both in Epidemiology at LSHTM. I am a co-Programme Director for the MSc Epidemiology (intensive) and a co-organiser for the Family Planning Programmes module. I currently teach on the Extended Epidemiology, Family Planning Programmes, Analysis of Survey and Population Data modules, am a personal tutor for students on the MSc Epidemiology and am a PhD student supervisor.

Affiliations

Department of Population Health
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health

Centres

Centre for Evaluation
Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre

Teaching

CURRENT
- MSc Epidemiology Programme Director, exam board member, programme committee member, personal tutor, dissertation supervisor
- MSc Reproductive and Sexual Health Research, exam board member, programme committee member
- Primary supervisor for one Research Degree student
- Teaching organisation: Family Planning Programmes module organiser
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (awarded June 2015)
- LSHTM Module teaching and marking: Extended Epidemiology, Family Planning Programmes, Analysis of Survey and Population Data
- MSc dissertation and exam marking: MSc Epidemiology

PAST
- MSc Reproductive and Sexual Health Research, programme committee member, dissertation supervisor, personal tutor
- MSc SRHPP exam board committee member, programme committee member, dissertation supervisor, personal tutor
- LSHTM module teaching: Adolescent Health in Low and Middle income Countries Short Course, Basic Epidemiology, Introductory Course in Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Design & Analysis of Epidemiological Studies, Study Design
- Exam marking: Basic Epidemiology; Foundations in Reproductive Health; MSc Reproductive and Sexual Health research
- MSc dissertation marking: MSc Reproductive and Sexual Health Research
- Module final assessment marking: Design & Analysis of Epidemiological Studies; Study design
- Teaching organisation: Adolescent Health in Low and Middle income Countries Short Course (2016)

Research

My general research interests are around developing and evaluating interventions to improve sexual and reproductive health. My experience in research to develop interventions draws upon behavioural science, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. In evaluating interventions, I have been involved in individually and cluster randomised controlled trials, feasibility studies and process evaluations using mixed methods. More recently, I have been developing and implementing online reproductive health surveys in England.
Research Area
Adolescent health
Behaviour change
Mobile technologies
Sexual and reproductive health
Maternal health
Epidemiology
Psychology
Randomised controlled trials
Contraception
Disease and Health Conditions
Sexually transmitted infections
Country
Bolivia
Tajikistan
United Kingdom
Nepal
India
Zimbabwe
Palestine
Democratic Republic of the Congo

Selected Publications

A cluster randomized controlled trial of an electronic decision-support system to enhance antenatal care services in pregnancy at primary healthcare level in Telangana, India: trial protocol.
Mohan, S; Chaudhry, M; MCCARTHY, O; Jarhyan, P; Calvert, C; Jindal, D; Shakya, R; RADOVICH, E; Kondal, D; Penn-Kekana, L; Basany, K; Roy, A; Tandon, N; Shrestha, A; Shrestha, A; Karmacharya, B; CAIRNS, J; PEREL, P; CAMPBELL, OM R; Prabhakaran, D;
2023
BMC pregnancy and childbirth
Safetxt: A randomised controlled trial of a behavioural intervention delivered by text messages to reduce sexually transmitted re-infections in people aged 16-24
FREE, C; PALMER, M; MCCARTHY, O; Jerome, L; BERENDES, S; Knight, M; CARPENTER, J; Morris, T; JAMAL, Z; Dhaliwal, F; FRENCH, R; HICKSON, FC I; Gubijev, A; WELLINGS, K; Baraitser, P; ROBERTS, I; Bailey, J; CLAYTON, T; DEVRIES, K; EDWARDS, P; Hart, G; Michie, S; Macgregor, L; Turner, KM E; Potter, K;
2022
British Medical Journal
Achieving proportional representation in a reproductive health survey through social media: process and recommendations.
MCCARTHY, OL; PALMER, MJ; Gubijev, A; WELLINGS, K; Mann, S; Leon, L; Callaghan, F; Patterson, S; FRENCH, RS;
2022
BMC Public Health
The impact of community-based integrated HIV and sexual and reproductive health services for youth on population-level HIV viral load and sexually transmitted infections in Zimbabwe: protocol for the CHIEDZA cluster-randomised trial
DZIVA CHIKWARI, C; Dauya, E; Bandason, T; Tembo, M; Mavodza, C; SIMMS, V; MACKWORTH-YOUNG, CR S; Apollo, T; GRUNDY, C; WEISS, H; KRANZER, K; Mavimba, T; INDRAVUDH, P; DOYLE, A; Mugurungi, O; Machiha, A; BERNAYS, S; BUSZA, J; Madzima, B; TERRIS-PRESTHOLT, F; MCCARTHY, O; HAYES, R; Francis, S; FERRAND, RA;
2022
Wellcome Open Research
Adapting an evidence-based contraceptive behavioural intervention delivered by mobile phone for young people in Zimbabwe.
MCCARTHY, OL; Mavodza, C; Chikwari, CD; Dauya, E; Tembo, M; Hlabangana, P; Dembetembe, R; Mpakami, N; Bandason, T; FREE, C; SMITH, C; FERRAND, RA;
2022
BMC Health Services Research
Sexual health interventions delivered to participants by mobile technology: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
BERENDES, S; GUBIJEV, A; MCCARTHY, OL; PALMER, MJ; Wilson, E; FREE, C;
2021
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Development of an intervention delivered by mobile phone aimed at decreasing unintended pregnancy among young people in three lower middle income countries.
MCCARTHY, OL; Wazwaz, O; Osorio Calderon, V; Jado, I; Saibov, S; Stavridis, A; López Gallardo, J; Tokhirov, R; Adada, S; Huaynoca, S; MAKLEFF, S; Vandewiele, M; Standaert, S; FREE, C;
2018
BMC public health
Safetxt: a pilot randomised controlled trial of an intervention delivered by mobile phone to increase safer sex behaviours in young people.
MCCARTHY, OL; FRENCH, RS; Baraitser, P; ROBERTS, I; RATHOD, SD; DEVRIES, K; Bailey, JV; EDWARDS, P; WELLINGS, K; Michie, S; FREE, C;
2016
BMJ open
Simple steps to develop trial follow-up procedures.
MCCARTHY, O; FRENCH, RS; ROBERTS, I; FREE, C;
2016
Trials
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