I am a health psychologist with an interest in addiction, particularly smoking and behaviour change interventions. I am also interested in marginalised populations, such as people who are homeless, and people with various intersecting challenges including mental health, addiction, involvement in criminal justice system and more.
I have started my education in a different field, completing a degree in Modern Languages at the University of St Andrews in 2009, and then ‘converted’ into Psychology in 2010. I hold a Masters degree in Psychology (also from St Andrews) and a PhD in experimental Psychology from the University of Southampton (completed in 2015).
After the completion of my PhD I worked as a Research Health Psychologist at Queen Mary University of London, where I was also a specialist stop smoking advisor for the City of London. I then moved back to Scotland and worked as a Research Fellow at Centre for Substance Use Research in Glasgow, followed by the University of Stirling. I have joined the Psychology team at Napier as a Lecturer in January 2023.
I am happy to be contacted by students interested in research projects involving marginalised populations, and health psychology more broadly. I have experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Recent publications:
Miler, JA, Mercer F, Pauly B, Carver H, Hnízdilová K, Foster R & Parkes T. (2021) Peer Support and Overdose Prevention Responses: A Systematic ‘State-of-the-Art’ Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (22), Art. No.: 12073. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212073
Miler, JA; Foster, R., Hnizdilova, K., Murdoch, H., and Parkes, T. (2021) “It maybe doesn’t seem much, but to me it’s my kingdom”: staff and client experiences of Housing First in Scotland. Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy DOI: 10.1080/09687637.2021.1926429
Miler, JA; Carver,, H., Masterton,, W., Parkes, T., Maden, M., Jones, L., and Sumnall, H. (2021) What treatment and services are effective for people who are homeless and use drugs? A systematic ‘review of reviews’. PLOS ONE https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254729
Miler JA, Carver, H., Foster, R., and Parkes, T. (2020). Provision of peer support at the intersection of homelessness and problem substance use services: a systematic ‘state of the art’ review. BMC Public Health 20:641 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-8407-4
Birge, M., Duffy, S., Miler, JA., and Hajek, P. (2017). What proportion of people who try one cigarette become daily smokers? A Meta-Analysis of Representative Surveys, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, ntx243, https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntx243