Personal profile
Biography
I have been a Marie Curie Senior Research Fellow in Clinical Psychology at the University of Edinburgh since 2021. Prior to this, I was the research lead at Marie Curie Hospice Edinburgh for 10 years and continue to support the hospice in an honorary capacity. My research is focused on mental health and wellbeing for people impacted by serious life-limiting illness – this includes people diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, their families or caregivers, and staff involved in their care. My current work involves the development of psychological interventions or resources to help people cope with the uncertainty and worry associated with an advanced progressive illness. I have a particular interest in the value of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in palliative care, including bereavement. Additional interests include delirium assessment and management, digital interventions, workforce wellbeing and research to inform policy relevant to palliative care. I have expertise in systematic reviewing, complex intervention development, and mixed methods research.
Qualifications
PhD (Psychology) - University of Edinburgh
Current Research Interests
- Development and evaluation of psychological interventions for palliative care
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Bereavement
- Digital health interventions
- Delirium - identification and treatment in terminally ill adults
- Systematic literature reviews and mixed-methods research designs
- Evidence to inform policy relevant to palliative care
- Knowledge exchange
External positions
Research Lead, Marie Curie Hospice Edinburgh
Research Themes and Networks
- Edinburgh Mental Health Network
Fingerprint
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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‘You're a human being and not a robot that goes out to work’: A qualitative study exploring factors impacting on wellbeing and intention to leave among lone working healthcare assistants providing palliative and end-of-life care in the community
Patynowska, K. A., McConnell, T., Finucane, A., Maun, E., Fantoni, R., Clemo, J., Leone, E., Wynne, N. & Hasson, F., 18 Mar 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Palliative Medicine. p. 1-12 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
My grief My Way: Acceptability of an online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy based bereavement support resource
Finucane, A., Canny, A., Harrop, E., Selman, L. E., Swash, B., Spiller, J., Neilson, A., Hulbert-Williams, N. J., Wakefield, D., Owen, R., Burnett, T. & Gillanders, D., 14 Mar 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Progress in Palliative Care. p. 1-12 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Assessing and managing delirium in terminally ill adults in the community
Finucane, A., Arnold, E., McIlldowie, S., Nailon, H. & Spiller, J., 2 Mar 2026, In: British Journal of Community Nursing. 31, 3, p. 142-146 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open AccessFile -
Defining and measuring unmet palliative care needs among people with life-limiting illness: A scoping review of international evidence
Johansson, T., Diggle, M., Finucane, A., Davies, J. M., Higginson, I. J., Sleeman, K. E., Fraser, L. K., Murtagh, F. E. M. & Bone, A. E., 6 Feb 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Palliative Medicine. p. 1-24 24 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Coproducing a conceptual understanding of unmet palliative care needs: Stakeholder workshops using modified nominal group technique
Bone, A., Diggle, M., Johansson, T., Finucane, A., Sleeman, K., Davies, J., Higginson, I., Fraser, L. & Murtagh, F., 27 Jan 2026, In: BMC palliative care. 25, 30.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile
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A cluster randomized controlled trial of online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) training to improve mental wellbeing in staff caring for terminally ill people and their caregivers.
Gillanders, D. (Principal Investigator) & Finucane, A. (CoPI)
National Institute for Health Research
1/02/25 → 29/02/28
Project: Research
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Mapping the palliative and end-of-life care research workforce in the UK: A mixed-method study.
Finucane, A. (Principal Investigator)
1/05/24 → 30/06/26
Project: Research
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Mental health and wellbeing towards the end-of-life Research and Knowledge Exchange Network
Finucane, A. (Principal Investigator) & Gillanders, D. (Co-investigator)
1/09/23 → 30/11/26
Project: Research
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Development of an online self-directed Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention to improve ability to cope and quality of life after bereavement
Finucane, A. (Principal Investigator), Finucane, A. (Principal Investigator), Gillanders, D. (Co-investigator) & Neilson, A. (Co-investigator)
1/01/23 → 31/12/26
Project: Research
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Marie Curie Senior Research Fellowship
Finucane, A. (Principal Investigator) & Gillanders, D. (Co-investigator)
1/02/21 → 31/12/28
Project: Research
Datasets
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The 4AT, a rapid delirium detection tool for use in hospice inpatient units: Findings from a validation study
Finucane, A. (Creator), Taylor, S. (Creator), Spiller, J. (Creator), O'Rourke, S. (Creator), Carduff, E. (Creator), MacLullich, A. M. (Creator), Tieges, Z. (Creator), Spencely, J. (Creator) & Arnold, E. (Creator), Edinburgh DataShare, 7 Jun 2024
DOI: 10.7488/ds/7745
Dataset
Press/Media
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Projected place of death in Scotland up to 2040
11/12/19 → 16/01/20
10 Media contributions
Press/Media: Research
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Evaluation of the Scottish KIS for palliative and end of life care
17/12/19
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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