Conor Farrington is a social scientist with a particular interest in new medical technologies. He joined the Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research (CCHSR) led by Professor Martin Roland as a Research Associate in 2013, and is a member of the Evaluation & Implementation Theme of the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
Following postgraduate degrees in political theory and philosophy, Conor completed his training with a doctorate in political science and Latin American politics at the Department of Geography at Cambridge. Conor then undertook interdisciplinary social science post-doctoral research in the NIHR CLAHRC (Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care) at the Judge Business School, focusing on a range of substantive topics in health and social care research including: knowledge exchange and communication between health and social care professionals; the effectiveness of e-learning in end of life care training in care homes; and the impact of policy-led shifts towards ‘New Public Management’ on mental health and child protection social work. Conor has also published papers on communication in healthcare, e-learning in medical education, British politics and public policy, and local democracy in developing world contexts.
Current interests
Conor’s current research focuses on new medical technology in a range of clinical settings including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental health. He is also interested in the wider sociological and philosophical implications of new medical technology, and recently co-organised a Wellcome Trust-funded symposium at Cambridge to explore new conceptual approaches in the context of personal medical devices. Conor has a strong interest in global mental health, and has recently published a paper exploring the new field of ‘mH2‘ (mental health and mobile health). Lastly, he is also involved in CCHSR research, specifically the attempt to understand doctors’ responses to patient feedback in primary and secondary care settings.