Laura Miller

Profile

After obtaining a BSc in Psychology from the University of York, I worked in mental health support work for Sheffield Mind and then joined the Health and Lifestyle Research Unit at QMUL in 2017 as a Research Psychologist. At the unit I was involved in research in weight management and smoking cessation, including a Randomised Controlled Trial testing an online behavioural intervention for the prevention of relapse back to smoking.

I began working at the Pragmatic Clinic Trials Unit (PCTU), within the WIPH Centre for Evaluation and Methods, in March 2019 as the Trial Coordinator for the IBD-BOOST programme of research, which aimed to improve the wellbeing and quality of life of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease by reducing the burden of their most troublesome chronic symptoms. I was subsequently appointed as the Programme Manager for IBD-BOOST, overseeing the day-to-day running and overall management, as well as being a trained facilitator for the online CBT-based intervention. In November 2023 I became a Senior Trials Manager at the PCTU, monitoring the progress of supported studies, supervising and advising trial managers, and collaborating with different teams and numerous stakeholders.

Since June 2024 I have been working as the Programme Manager for ICONIC, a 5-year, £2.4m National Institute of Health Research funded research programme, which is being coordinated at the Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry within the Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health. The programme aims to improve quality of life and behaviour that challenges in people with mild to moderate learning disability, through the adaptation and trialling of the existing DIALOG+ intervention. Outside of my role I am a trained mental health first aider and a member of the centre Anti-Racism Working Group.

Research

Research Interests:

Research and programme management, with a focus on psychology, mental health and wellbeing, and improving quality of life, as well as cognitive behavioural and self-management interventions and intervention development. Also improving methodology, the development and testing of study databases, and increasing the inclusivity of research and diversity of patient populations.

Publications

Miller, L., Hart, A., Cléirigh-Büttner, F. et al. What is the impact on recruitment of a shortened compared with a standard-length participant information leaflet? PROMETHEUS in IBD-BOOST: study within a trial, a decentralised UK randomised controlled trial. Trials 26, 211 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-025-08931-6

Roukas, C., Miller, L., Cléirigh Büttner, F., et al. Cost-effectiveness of BOOST online intervention for supported self-management of pain, fatigue and bowel incontinence in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Journal of Crohn's and Colitis. (2025). Volume 19, Issue Supplement_1, Pages i2305–i2306, https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjae190.1451

Stagg, I., Hart, A., Cléirigh Büttner F., et al. Optimising fatigue, abdominal pain and faecal incontinence in people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD-BOOST Optimise): feasibility study of a checklist and algorithm for initial nurse-led management. BMJ Open Gastroenterology (2024);11:e001585. doi: 10.1136/bmjgast-2024-001585

Hart, A., Miller, L., Cléirigh Büttner, F., et al. Fatigue, pain and faecal incontinence in adult inflammatory bowel disease patients and the unmet need: a national cross-sectional survey. BMC Gastroenterol 24, 481 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12876-024-03570-8

Wileman, V., Chilcot, J., Norton, C. et al. Psychological Factors are Associated With Clusters of Pain, Fatigue, Fecal Incontinence, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Type Symptoms in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Latent Profile Analysis, Journal of Crohn's and Colitis (2024); jjae183, https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjae183

Roukas, C., Miller, L., Cléirigh Büttner, F., et al. Impact of pain, fatigue and bowel incontinence on the quality of life of people living with inflammatory bowel disease: a UK cross-sectional survey. United Eur Gastroenterol J. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/ueg2.12668

Wileman, V., McGuinness, S., Sweeney, L., et al. Development and preliminary evaluation of a suicidal risk assessment protocol in a randomised controlled trial using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Trials. (2024) Jul 12;25(1):476. doi: 10.1186/s13063-024-08276-6. PMID: 38997767; PMCID: PMC11241891.

Honzlova, Z., Stagg, I., Miller, L., et al. The impact of COVID-19 on trial participants' engagement with IBD-BOOST: a digital cognitive behavioural intervention. Gastrointestinal Nursing. (2024) 22:2, 114-122