Dr Sara Calderón, MBBS, MSc, PhD
Postdoctoral Clinical Fellow in Primary Care
Email: s.calderon@qmul.ac.uk
Twitter: @SaraCalderonL
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I am a General Practitioner and primary care researcher, balancing my academic work with practicing as a GP in Tower Hamlets, London. I obtained my Medical Sciences degree from the University of Zaragoza, Spain, in 2012, and became a GP in 2017. I hold a master’s degree in Primary Care Research from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (2018), Spain, and a PhD from Queen Mary University of London (2023).
My PhD used complexity-informed research to study the implementation and evaluation of social prescribing in the NHS. Expanding on my doctoral work, I am currently evaluating the effectiveness of social prescribing in preventing Type 2 diabetes using primary care electronic health records from the RCGP Research Surveillance Centre at the University of Oxford. I am also involved in consultancy with the Pan American Health Organization/Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO) exploring the implementation of social prescribing initiatives across Latin America and the Caribbean. Additionally, I partner with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Quality and Equity in Primary Health Care Systems at the Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute in the Netherlands. Our collaboration involves a case study on the Spanish primary care system’s performance and research on the international migration of GPs across Europe.
I have a strong passion for primary care interdisciplinary research. My track record showcases the integration of diverse methodologies (qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, and evidence synthesis) and theoretical approaches (including critical realism, realist evaluation, discourse analysis, and theories of social practice) to comprehend the intricacies of primary healthcare organisations and systems.
I have received grant funding from the NIHR School for Primary Care Research, London Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership, Economic and Social Research Council, and the Currier’s Millennium Healthcare Bursary.