Mr Jim McGrath MSc
Research Associate: User Research and System Evaluation
Role
As User Research Associate within the CLAHRC projects team at NIBHI, I spend most of my time working with the users of our healthcare information systems, gathering requirements and feedback that are used to improve and enhance the tools we provide to NHS practitioners.
Biography
I began designing and developing for the World Wide Web in 1994, when web technologies were still in an early stage of development. My first commercial experience was at St Martin's College (now University of Cumbria), when I designed and coded the Overview of World Religions following my graduation in Religious Studies/Applied Social Sciences.
On completion of the project I moved into general administration and then into systems support, before returning to University to undertake postgraduate study in Computer Science, bringing my academic qualifications in line with my experience. On completing my study I set up McGrath Technology Services, a small IT solutions company providing both hardware and software services to the charitable and SME sectors.
In this period, I worked with diverse clients such as Youth Encounter (a Christian Aid funded group promoting dialogue between Muslim and Christian youth in Birmingham), Durham University, the Higher Education Academy (Subject Centre for History, Classics and Archaeology), the Springfield Project (a multi-disciplinary community centre), and Salford Royal Foundation NHS Trust.
When an interesting opportunity arose at the National Drug Evidence Centre to combine my commercial development and IT background with my academic history in social sciences I leaped at the chance. Whilst working as the Informatics and Web Communications Lead at NDEC I oversaw the launch and future development of a number of data dissemination portals based on NDTMS, including outputs with UKSA National Statistics status.
Through almost two decades as a web and data developer I have increasingly appreciated the important role that end-user involvement should play in the development process, so joining NIBHI as Research Associate in User Research and System Evaluation is a natural progression on my career path. I look forward to the challenges this new role will bring.
Qualifications
- BA Hons Religious Studies / Applied Social Sciences
- St Martin's College, Lancaster (Lancaster University), 2:1
- MSc Computer Science
- Birmingham University, Pass with Merit