![Rachel Joseph](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/567?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Rachel Joseph
(she/her)
Research student
- JosephRL3@cardiff.ac.uk
- 64 Park Place, Cathays, Cardiff, CF10 3AT
Overview
I am a PhD student (Health and Care Research Wales, Health PhD Studentship Award), and a member of the Cardiff Fertility Research Group, based in the School of Psychology.
My background is in advocacy - I am extremely passionate about creating and inspiring positive change where endometriosis care in Wales (and broader female health inequalities) is concerned. I volunteer regularly for FTWW as their endometriosis champion and have recently won the Young Volunteer of the Year Award, WCVA, Welsh Charity Awards.
My research interests are in endometriosis, female-health inequalities, co-production, person centred care and shared-decision making.
Supervisors: Professor Jacky Boivin (Cardiff University) & Professor Jane Noyes (Bangor University)
Research
My PhD project title is: ‘A Realist evaluation of the implementation of a women-centred NHS endometriosis website and tools to support more timely diagnosis and shared decision making with general practitioners’.
Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women, girls, and those assigned female at birth. It causes severe symptoms (i.e., organ dysfunction, infertility) with a profound life-long impact. In Wales, it takes an average of 9 years to diagnose.
The NHS Wales Endo Cyrmu website has a Symptom Reporting Tool that helps people monitor their symptoms and create a Symptom report. This website and tool were designed to aid focused and meaningful dialogue between patients and GPs regarding symptoms that could be endometriosis and thus, enable a faster attribution of symptoms to a diagnosis and endometriosis care pathway or alternative (as relevant). However, symptom tools and websites do not always work as intended and we need to understand why to improve their use in general practice for earlier diagnosis.
