The Realist Lens - For Researchers Who Keep It Real
The Realist Lens is a podcast that makes realist evaluation and synthesis accessible and easy to follow. Through relaxed conversations with expert guests, students, and practitioners, it explores key realist concepts like mechanisms, context, and outcomes. The show offers practical insights, real-world examples, and thoughtful reflections for both newcomers and experienced researchers. Each episode supports learning and curiosity one conversation at a time.
Episodes
Episode 38 – Rapid Realist Synthesis for Policy: The APRIL Approach with Sarah-Jane Fenton and Justin Aunger
What happens when policymakers need theory-informed evidence not next year, but next month?Alejandro is joined by Sarah-Jane Fenton, Associate Professor of Mental Health Policy at the University of Birmingham, and Justin Aunger, a Research Fellow in Applied Health Sciences, to explore APRIL: the Accelerated, Parallelised, Realist, Informed Literature Review.Developed through commissioned work in a
Episode 37 – Realist Research, Nutrition and Plant-Based Care with Saffron Whyton
What happens when nutrition research moves beyond asking whether an intervention works and starts examining why it works, for whom and under which conditions?Alejandro is joined by Saffron Whyton, a PhD researcher at the University of Surrey whose work sits at the intersection of nutrition and psychology, with a particular focus on plant-based diets, healthy ageing and care homes.Drawing on her re
Episode 36 –Bringing Behavioural Science and Realist Research Together with Justin Aunger
What happens when we bring behavioural science and realist research into the same conversation? And could the two approaches help address some of each other’s limitations?Alejandro is joined by Dr Justin Aunger, Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, whose work spans behavioural science, patient safety, health services research, realist synthesis and realist evaluation.Drawing on his exp
Episode 35 – The Elephant in the Room: Using (or Not Using) AI in Realist Research with Andrew Booth
What does it mean to use artificial intelligence well in realist research? And where should we draw the red lines?In this timely and balanced conversation, Alejandro is joined by Professor Andrew Booth, Professor in Evidence Synthesis at the University of Sheffield, whose work spans systematic reviews, qualitative evidence synthesis, information retrieval, and realist synthesis.Andrew approaches A
Episode 34 – Realist Review of Communication Partner Training after Stroke with Yvonne Fitzmaurice
What does it really take to conduct a realist review when you are new to realist research, and there is no simple methodological roadmap to follow? How can realist approaches help us understand why communication partner training works in some contexts but is difficult to sustain or embed in others?In this open and highly practical conversation, Alejandro is joined by Yvonne Fitzmaurice, an experie
Episode 33 – Realist Evaluation in Commissioned Settings with Brad Astbury
What does it mean to conduct realist evaluation well when timelines are tight, budgets are limited, data access is imperfect, and commissioners want findings that areclear, useful, and actionable? How can evaluators remain faithful to realist principles without becoming trapped in theoretical complexity, or reducing context, mechanism, and outcome configurations to formulaic boxes?In this refreshi
Episode 32 – Co-Design in Realist Evaluation and Exercise Oncology with Deirdre McGrath
How can realist evaluation help us understand why exercise interventions work, for whom, in what circumstances, and why? And what happens when patients and interest group holders are not just consulted, but actively involved in shaping programme theories, intervention design, and implementation?In this reflective conversation, Alejandro is joined by Dr Deirdre McGrath, lecturer in nursing at Queen
Episode 31 – Realist Research Across Ways of Knowing with Kenneth Yakubu
What happens when realist approaches meet other research traditions, disciplines and ways of knowing? And how can researchers work across different assumptions about evidence, causation, truth, knowledge and equity without flattening, absorbing or privileging one tradition over another? In this thoughtful conversation, Alejandro is joined by Dr Kenneth Yakubu, whose work sits at the intersection o
Episode 30 – Realist Evaluation and Health Systems with Prashanth Srinivas
How can realist evaluation help us understand health systems, inequality, and social change in marginalised and ecologically sensitive contexts? And what happens when realist thinking moves beyond academic projects and becomes part of long-term, participatory work with communities?In this insightful conversation, Alejandro is joined by Dr Prashanth N Srinivas, a public health researcher and health
Episode 29 – Realist Synthesis, Online Forums and Living Libraries with Paul Marshall
How can realist synthesis help us understand digital forums, online communities, and living libraries? And what happens when lived experience, story sharing and peer support take place in dynamic online or hybrid spaces where safety, connection and meaning are constantly being negotiated?In this insightful and reflective conversation, Alejandro is joined by Dr Paul Marshall, Research Associate at
Episode 28 – Realist Evaluation in Government and Policy with Finlay Green
How can realist evaluation help make sense of government policy, complexity, and decision-making? And what happens when realist ideas move beyond academic journals and into fast-moving, politically shaped, resource-stretched environments where people need answers quickly?In this insightful and practical conversation, Alejandro is joined by Finlay Green, an evaluation and policy practitioner with e
Episode 27 – Remote Aboriginal Health and Realist Approaches with Katherine Zippel
How can realist approaches help us understand culturally safe, community-led healthcare? And how can storytelling, lived experience, and clinical practice come together to make research more responsive and relational?In this rich and reflective conversation, Alejandro is joined by Dr Katherine Zippel, a General Practitioner, DPhil student at the University of Oxford, and researcher working at the
Episode 26 – Realist Approaches in Arts and Mental Health Recovery with Louisa Peters
What role can the arts play in recovery? And how can realist approaches help us understand the deeper processes behind healing, identity, and lived experience?In this creative and thought-provoking conversation, Alejandro is joined by Dr Louisa Peters, a researcher who brings together psychology, community arts, and realist thinking. Louisa’s work draws on her background in musicology, community a
Episode 25 – Realist Approaches in Physiotherapy with Leah Morris
What makes physiotherapy such a complex, context-dependent practice, and how can realist approaches help us better understand what works, for whom, and why?In this insightful and grounded conversation, Alejandro isjoined by Dr Leah Morris, a physiotherapist, senior lecturer, and realist researcher working at the University of the West of England. Leah’s work spans academia, teaching and supporting
Episode 24 – Realist Approaches in Dementia Care: Understanding Medication Management with Ian Maidment
What makes medication management in older people with dementia such a complex challenge, and how can realist approaches help us make sense of it?Alejandro is joined by Professor Ian Maidment, whose career spans over two decades in pharmacy practice, mental health, and dementia care, alongside leading NIHR-funded realist research.Ian shares his journey from NHS pharmacist to realist researcher, exp
Episode 23 - Lessons from Realist Evaluation in Global Health with Brynne Gilmore
What makes realist evaluation so valuable in global health, and what does it take to apply it meaningfully?In this rich and reflective conversation, Alejandro is joined by Assistant Professor Brynne Gilmore, whose career has taken her from community health programmes in East Africa to leading realist research and mentoring PhD students at University College Dublin.Brynne shares how she first disco
Episode 22 — Realist Evaluation in a Time of Transformation with Robert Sandler
In this episode of The Realist Lens, Alejandro is joined by Dr Robert Sandler, medical doctor and recent PhD graduate from the University of Sheffield, to explore how realist evaluation can help make sense of major changes in healthcare.Rob shares his doctoral research examining the impact of ETI for people with cystic fibrosis in the UK, a treatment that has rapidly transformed health outcomes an
Episode 21 — Keeping It Real Part-Time with Michele Wood
In this episode of The Realist Lens, Alejandro is joined by Michele Wood, art psychotherapist in palliative care and part-time PhD researcher at Lancaster University, to explore what it really means to undertake a realist PhD alongside work, life, and personal commitments.Michele shares her journey into doctoral research after more than 30 years in clinical practice, where her interest in the role
Episode 20 —Realist Thematic Analysis with Gareth Wiltshire
In this episode of The Realist Lens, Alejandro is joined by Dr Gareth Wiltshire, sociologist and critical realist scholar at Loughborough University, to unpack realist thematic analysis, a method designed to move qualitative analysis beyondsurface-level patterns and into causal explanation.Gareth shares his intellectual journey into critical realism and explains how realist thematic analysis emerg
Episode 19 - A Unicorn or an Oxymoron? The Realist Trial with Sebastian Lemire
In this episode of The Realist Lens, Alejandro is joined by Sebastian Lemire, evaluator and methodological pluralist, to explore one of the most contested questions in contemporary realist inquiry: Is the realist trial a methodological impossibility, or a rare but viable unicorn?Drawing on his extensive experience in theory-based evaluation and a review of published realist trials, Sebastian share
Episode 18 — Across Cultures and Contexts: Kerryn O’Rourke on Realist Interviewing, Equity & Methodological Coherence
In this episode of The Realist Lens, Alejandro is joined by Dr Kerryn O’Rourke, public health researcher, realist evaluator, and Co-Lead of the Realist Research, Evaluation and Learning Initiative at Charles Darwin University, to explore what it really means to do realist work across cultures ethically, methodologically, and epistemologically.Kerryn shares her journey from nursing and frontline pu
Episode 17 — From Clinic to Complexity: Pragati Hebbar on Realist Thinking, Policy & Practice
In this episode, Alejandro is joined by Dr Pragati Hebbar, dentist, public health researcher, realist evaluator, and Assistant Director at the Institute of Public Health, Bangalore to explore what it looks like to transition from clinical practice into policy, embrace complexity, and use realist approaches to make sense of real-world implementation.Pragati walks us through the journey that led her
Episode 16 — The Realist PhD Journey with Sara Dada
In this episode, Alejandro is joined by Dr. Sara Dada, global health researcher, newly appointed Ad Astra Fellow at University College Dublin, and the mind behind a truly ambitious realist PhD. Sara walks us through what it means to build an entire doctoral thesis around realist principles: from developing initial programme theories, to conducting a realist review and realist evaluation in Zambia,
Episode 15 — The RAMESES standards with Joanne Greenhalgh
In this episode, Alejandro sits down with Professor Joanne Greenhalgh, one of the core members behind the RAMESES standards — the evolving benchmarks that have shapedrealist evaluation and realist synthesis across the world.Joanne shares the story of how the standards came to life, their role in guiding quality and reporting in realist work, and why they were designed to evolve rather than prescri
Episode 14 – Which Configuration Should I Use? Insights with Esther de Weger & Natascha van Vooren
Alejandro sits down with Dr Esther de Weger and Dr Natascha van Vooren to unpack the evolving world of realist configurations, from the classic CMO (Context–Mechanism–Outcome) to newer variations like SCMO, ICMO, and beyond.Following on from last week's episode on CMOs, in this lively, reflective conversation, Esther and Natascha draw on their PhD experiences and current research to explore ho
Episode 13 – CMO Configurations: A Conversation with Andrew Harding
Alejandro sits down with Andrew Harding, Lecturer in Health Inequalities at Lancaster University, to unpack one of realist research’s most defining ideas: Context–Mechanism–Outcome (CMO) configurations.In this lively and practical conversation, Andy reflects on his decade-long realist journey, from PhD student to supervisor, sharing how CMOs have evolved from textbook theoryto hands-on analytic to
Episode 12 - Thinking Like a Realist: A Conversation with Ray Pawson
Alejandro sits down with Ray Pawson, Emeritus Professor at the University of Leeds and one of the founding thinkers behind realist evaluation and realist synthesis.In this landmark conversation, Ray reflects on nearly three decades of realist evaluation and realist synthesis, from its beginnings in the 1990s to its role today across healthcare, policy, and social research. Together, they explore h
Episode 11 - Linking Context, Mechanisms, and Outcomes with Suzanne Jackson
Alejandro sits down with Suzanne Jackson, Associate Professor Emerita at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Suzanne has been a pioneer in participatory research for decades, and her work has shaped how realist approaches can be applied in complex community and health promotion contexts.Together, they dive into the art (and challenge) of linked coding of context–mechanis
Episode 10 - Building Programme Theory in Mental Health Education with Zoe McCormack
Alejandro sits down with Zoe McCormack, a PhD researcher at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, whose very first PhD paper, a realist review , has just been published.Together, they dive into the art (and challenge) of building programme theory in realist research. From defining what programme theory really means, to navigating the messy process of scoping and refining ideas in complex educa
Episode 9 – Analytical Strategies in Realist Evaluation: Insights with Steffen Bohni
How do you choose the right analytical strategy for a realistevaluation — and why does it matter so much?In this thoughtful and practical conversation, Alejandro isjoined by Steffen Bohni, Director General of Denmark’s National Research Centre for the Working Environment, to explore the critical role of analytical strategies in realist evaluation and synthesis. With over 25 years in evaluation, St
Episode 8 – Generalisation in Realist Evaluation and Synthesis with Dimitri Renmans
What does it really mean to generalise in realist research? How do we move from rich, contextual description to insights that are genuinely transferable?In this mind-expanding episode, Alejandro is joined by Assistant Professor Dimitri Renmans — health systems researcher and co-founder of the All-Realist Group — to unpack the challenge of generalisation without falling into the trap of purely stat
Episode 7 - The Realist Interview with Ana Manzano
What is a realist interview, really? How do we design interviews and focus groups that go beyond collecting stories to actually testing and refining theory?In this engaging and thought-provoking episode, Alejandro is joined by Professor Ana Manzano — a leading thinker in realist methodology — to unpack exactly that. From the roots of theory-driven interviewing to the practical realities of asking
Episode 6 - Making Realist Research Accessible with Kev Harris
How can realist approaches become more accessible andimpactful for the communities they aim to serve? What does it mean to truly collaborate with practitioners, students, and local systems when doing realist evaluation?Join Alejandro and Dr Kevin Harris for an energising and thought-provoking conversation that explores just that. From Kev’s roots in sports and social change to his pioneering work
Episode 5 - From Pharmacist to Realist: Learning to Embrace Complexity with Kristin Xenos
In this inspiring episode, Alejandro is joined by Kristin Xenos, a practising pharmacist, realist PhD researcher and cohost of the clinical pharmacy podcast The Purple Pen Podcast to talk about the real journey into realist methodology—complete with uncertainty, lightbulb moments, and growing confidence.Kristin shares her experience transitioning from a traditionally positivist discipline into rea
Episode 4 – Realist Research in Action: Navigating the Healthcare Workforce with Ruth Abrams
What does it really take to explore workforce issues in healthcare using a realist lens? How can research stay grounded when you're working with overstretched systems and exhausted staff? Join Alejandro and Dr. Ruth Abrams for a conversation packed with practical wisdom and reflective insights. Ruth opens up about her journey into realist research, how context (with a big "C") shapes
Episode 3 - Retroduction and Realist Thinking with Justin Jagosh
In this conversation, Justin Jagosh—Director of the Centre for the Advancement of Realist Evaluation and Synthesis—joins the podcast to unpack retroduction, a distinctive feature of the realist approach.Through metaphors, real-world examples, and decades of experience, Justin offers a remarkably accessible and rigorous guide to what retroduction is, how it differs from inductive and deductive reas
Episode 2 – Ontology, Epistemology, and the Realist Lens with Ferdinand Mukumbang
What is the "realist lens"? Why does philosophy matter when you’re trying to keep research real and practical? Join Alejandro and Assistant Professor Ferdinand Mukumbang as they take you beyond the buzzwords of ontology and epistemology and into the heart of what makesrealist research distinct. In this accessible and experience-rich episode, Ferdie shares his personal journey from novice
Episode 1 - What is realist research? Geoff Wong
Kick off The Realist Lens with Associate Professor Geoff Wong from Oxford as we dive into the foundations of realist research—what it is, why it matters, and how to get started. From generative causation to programme theories, this episode is your accessible, jargon-free gateway into the realist evaluation and synthesis world. Whether you're new or curious, this is where the journey begins.
Introduction Episode - Alejandro Argüelles Bullón
In this premiere episode, host Alejandro Argüelles Bullón shares the story behind The Realist Lens: why it was created, who it’s for, and what you can expect from upcoming episodes. Whether you're a seasoned realist researcher or just curious about how realist methods can make sense of complexity, Alejandro lays the foundation—clear, honest, and accessible. Hear what’s coming, why it matters,
