About The Realist Hub
Our Story
The Realist Hub is an applied realist consultancy working across research, policy, and practice. We support academic researchers, organisations, and partners to understand and improve complex programmes and systems through realist evaluation and evidence synthesis.
Our focus is on explanation. We work to understand how and why interventions work differently across contexts, and how this understanding can inform real-world practice and change, not just outputs on paper.
Alongside consultancy and subcontracted evaluation work, we continue to build capacity in realist approaches through targeted training, mentoring, and resources. This includes supporting teams to design, conduct, and use realist studies in ways that are methodologically robust and practically meaningful.
The Realist Hub grew out of applied research in health and social care, where complexity, variation, and implementation challenges are the norm. Our approach reflects this reality, prioritising explanation over description, learning over judgement, and use over compliance.
We work collaboratively, often as part of wider teams, tailoring our input to the needs of each project. Across all our work, we develop structured explanations that support learning, improvement, and change.
Meet Jo
I’m a Chartered Psychologist and Director of The Realist Hub, with over a decade of experience working internationally with realist approaches across applied research, evaluation, and service improvement. My work focuses on understanding how and why complex interventions and programmes work in practice, and how this learning can inform meaningful change.
I’m recognised for my expertise in realist methodology and collaborate internationally with academic researchers, clinicians, service leaders, and policymakers. I’ve led and collaborated on successful funding bids for applied realist research and evaluation, working in partnership with academic and service organisations. I work across sectors and settings, supporting the design, evaluation, and use of realist research in real-world contexts.
Through The Realist Hub, I provide consultancy, 1:1 support, and training for those using realist approaches, and I partner with organisations as part of wider research and evaluation teams. This includes contributing to funded research, applied evaluations, and service innovation projects in complex and evolving systems.
Alongside consultancy work, I play an active role in the international realist community, supporting capacity building and knowledge mobilisation through mentoring, training, and open-access seminars. In 2024, I also founded the Mental Health Innovation and Improvement (MHII) Network, which supports cross-disciplinary learning and service improvement.
I’m particularly interested in collaborative ways of working that prioritise explanation, learning, and use. Whether partnering on research, contributing to evaluation, or supporting teams to strengthen their realist practice, my aim is to generate applied theory that informs practice and change.
I’m passionate about knowledge mobilisation, capacity building, and creating practical impact through collaboration. If you’re working to improve mental health services or looking to integrate realist methods into your research or evaluation
What is Realist Research?
Training
Participate in our training sessions to build capacity in realist methods and improve your research skills.
Consultaion
Get personalized guidance from our experts to navigate complex research challenges and enhance your project outcomes.
Seminars
Join our interactive seminars designed to deepen your understanding of realist methodology and its application in various fields.
Behind the scenes
Julie works behind the scene with organisation and calendar planning for the Realist Hub. So you might speak or email with her during your interations with us.
Julie
Administration