News Story

Breaking barriers: Teresa Sides explores AI adoption in primary care

Thursday 20 Nov 2025

Teresa Sides has successfully defended her PhD viva on 6th November 2025. Her thesis, “Understanding the Barriers to AI Adoption Within Primary Care: A Novel Model for Acceptance and Resistance,” offers a timely investigation into why AI uptake in UK primary care remains limited despite growing policy support and technological capability.

Teresa developed the Acceptance–Resistance Model for Primary Care (ARM-PC) through a mixed-methods approach involving clinicians and experts. The model highlights key factors influencing AI adoption, including safety assurance, privacy, and health equity. Her findings stress that trust, transparency, and inclusive design are essential for successful AI integration in healthcare.

KMi is especially proud that two of Teresa’s supervisors, Dr. Tracie Farrell and Dr. Aisling Third, are based at KMi. Their guidance helped shape a project that reflects KMi’s commitment to responsible and inclusive AI. Teresa was also supervised by Dr. Dhouha Kbaier, with her viva committee chaired by Prof Marian Petre. Teresa also expressed heartfelt gratitude to her supervisory team, highlighting their unwavering support and intellectual guidance.

Looking ahead, she plans to continue her research as a postdoctoral fellow, expanding ARM-PC to areas like mental health and neurodiversity.

(Image caption: From left to right, Dr. Aislinn Bergin, Dr. Aisling Third, Dr. Simon Holland, Teresa Sides, Prof. Marian Petre.)