Dr Tom May
BSc, MSc, PhD (Dunelm)
Expertise
Current positions
Research Fellow in Behavioural Science
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Contact
Press and media
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Research interests
Tom is a Research Fellow in the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation, Bristol Medical School. He is a sociologist with a background in qualitative health and social research. His research focuses on developing and optimising effective healthcare interventions/services - especially in relation to substance use, HIV, hepatitis C and sexual health - using person-based approaches.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Mpox knowledge, behaviours and barriers to public health measures
Principal Investigator
Role
Principal Investigator
Description
Most interviewees were well informed about mpox transmission mechanisms and were either willing to or currently adhering to public health measures, despite low perceptions of mpox severity. Measures that aligned…Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
20/10/2022 to 01/12/2023
Responding to Mpox: Communities, Communication, and Infrastructures
Principal Investigator
Role
Principal Investigator
Description
This report, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), sets out key findings about the successes and challenges in the response to Mpox in the UK and internationally…Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/08/2022 to 31/03/2023
Publications
Selected publications
24/11/2022The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people experiencing homelessness
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Associated Societal Restrictions on People Experiencing Homelessness (PEH)
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
A qualitative study exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) and drug service provision in the UK
International Journal of Drug Policy
Recent publications
03/02/2026Staff Perspectives on Implementing Opt-Out Blood-Borne Virus Testing in English Emergency Departments
Emergency Medicine Journal
Understanding Vaccination Uptake Amongst Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in UK Sexual Health Services
Vaccines
A qualitative exploration of triggers for alcohol use and access to support during the COVID ‐19 pandemic among people identifying as problem drinkers in the United Kingdom
Drug and Alcohol Review
A qualitative exploration of triggers for alcohol use and access to alcohol services during the COVID-19 pandemic among people identifying as problem drinkers.
A qualitative exploration of triggers for alcohol use and access to alcohol services during the COVID-19 pandemic among people identifying as problem drinkers.
Mpox lived experience and its role in health promotion during the 2022/23 outbreak
Related people
Professor Russ Jago
Professor of Physical Activity & Public Health
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Professor Jeremy Horwood
Professor of Social Science and Health
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Professor Pete Blair
Professor of Epidemiology and Statistics
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Dr Jo Kesten
Senior Research Fellow
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Professor Lucy Yardley
Professor
School of Psychological Science