Key areas of expertise

• Implementation science – applying and advancing theory in health and care
• Behavioural science – habit and routines in clinical practice
• Tailored implementation – stakeholder engagement and development of practical, theory-informed tools (e.g. I-STEM, ItFits)

Current projects include:

ESCALATER – Evaluating speech, communication, and language support at the 2–2½ year Healthy Child review (NIHR Policy Research Programme, 2025–2027)

TRAITS Hospital to Home – Alcohol interventions across care pathways (Helse Vest, Western Norway Regional Health Authority, 2025–2027)

IDEAS Centre – Interdisciplinary evaluation of complex innovations in health and social care (NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research, 2024–2030)

SilverCloud Target Trials – Real-world studies of Amwell’s SilverCloud Digital Enabled Therapies, NIHR Invention for Innovation, 2024–2027)

Some key completed projects:

Jay’s Study – Tailored implementation of personalised safety planning for self-harm and suicidality (NIHR Research for Patient Benefit, 2024–2026). Key outputs: Jay’s personalised safety planning toolkit: A guide to support meaningful safety planning for self-harm and suicide.

Carers experience of personalised hospital discharge project (Voluntary Organisations Network North East, VONNE, 2022–2023). Key outputs: A co-produced toolkit to support personalised hospital discharge by recognising and involving carers.

ImpleMentAll – Towards evidence-based tailored implementation strategies for eHealth. (European Commission H2020, 2017–2021). Key outputs: ItFits-toolkit for self-guided tailored implementation strategies and I-STEM Model and toolkit for stakeholder engagement for implementation.

Sebastian is an experienced supervisor of PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. He has supervised three PhD students to a timely successful completion in a broad range of topics in applied health research.

Current postgraduate supervision:

Amy Hodgkinson – Enhancing diabetes behaviour change interventions in the third sector (Northumbria RDF studentship)

Michealla Lincoln – Training and supervision to support delivery of parent-led CBT for children, young people, and families (mixed methods study)

Past postgraduate supervision:

Leah Bührmann – Co-developing tools to support knowledge mobilisation and implementation in integrated health and social care systems (NIHR ARC NENC studentship)

Claire Leader – Policy and practice in supporting wellbeing among NHS nurses and midwives 

Sebastian Potthoff is a Chartered Health Psychologist and Associate Professor at Northumbria University. His work focuses on making theory usable in applied health and care settings, with a particular emphasis on tailored implementation and stakeholder engagement.

He studies how evidence-based interventions can be effectively implemented in routine practice, working closely with practitioners, services, and people with lived experience to co-design practical, theory-informed strategies. His research sits at the intersection of health psychology and implementation science, with a focus on bridging the gap between research and everyday practice, across areas including digital mental health, suicide prevention, alcohol interventions, and social care.

Sebastian is internationally recognised for his work on habit and behaviour change in clinical practice, exploring how habitual processes shape practitioner behaviour and how these can be leveraged to support implementation. Building on this, his current work focuses on developing and applying practical tools (e.g. I-STEM model and toolkit, ItFits-toolkit) to support implementation in health and social care.

He welcomes collaboration with researchers, services, and policymakers interested in applying implementation science to improve delivery of health and care interventions.