From sickness to prevention: policies and partnerships for healthy communities
The School would like to thank all conference speakers and participants and everyone who has been involved in this year’s ASM. With special mention to members of the SPHR ASM 2026 planning committee: Matthew Egan, Anthony Laverty, Eszter Vamos, Rachel Proctor, Viviana Albani, Milica Vasiljevic, Eleanor Winpenny, Rebecca Mead, Philip Anyanwu, Kiya Hurley, Hannah Fairbrother, Susan Bowett, Amy Johnson, Andeep Sull, Michelle Wilson Chalmers, Laura Fenwick, Martha Jordan, Catherine Jacobs, Joyce Coker, Jean Adams and Jean Palmer.
Venue map
Exhibition stands
PAN stand - Join us at the Public Involvement and Engagement stand this year to help develop a new training resource based on the Charter for PI&E. Members of our PAN and YPAN network will also be on hand to chat about all things involvement! So please stop by if you have any PI&E-related questions, would like to have a go at our reflective practice activities, or would like some PI&E-related advice. It will be great to see you!
NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health (SCPH) - Our national centre provides support for public health research outside the NHS including local authorities, the education sector, and the voluntary sector. Supporting the creation of high-quality research evidence. Informing policy and practice to improve public health and reduce inequalities.
Programme day 1
Wednesday 13 th May
10.30 Registration and refreshments
11.30 Welcome, Professor Ashley Adamson, NIHR SPHR Director
11.45 SPHR Trainees – lightning talks and digital stories A series of short talks and digital stories from SPHR trainees
12.30 Keynote speaker - Efua Poku - Amanfo Head of Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition
13.00 Networking lunch (and poster viewing)
14.00 Research session – Young people and mental health
15.00 Refreshments
15.30 Poster session A chance to hear poster presentations whilst continuing to enjoy refreshments
16.00 Research session – Communities in action
17.00 Keynote speaker – Dr Hannah Lewis, Three Schools Prevention Fellow Exploring equitable implementation of eating disorder prevention policies in schools: A cultural adaptation of a cognitive-dissonance interventions for South Asian adolescent girls
17.30 Meeting day 1 close
Programme day 2
Thursday 14 th May
Join us for Wear It Green Day on Thursday 14 May during Mental Health Awareness Week (1117 May 2026) – and let’s turn the world green for good mental health!
Welcome from the Director
Dear all,
I am pleased to welcome you to the NIHR School for Public Health Research Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) 2026 ‘From sickness to prevention: policies and partnerships for healthy communities’. We would like to say a big thank you to LSHTM and Imperial College London, the hosts of this year’s event.
As we enter year five of our third quinquennium, I am excited for us to come together as a School to share research findings and impact. The policy and practice implications of our work are a key focus of this year’s meeting. This comes at a critical time after the award of two additional years of funding. This year’s meeting gives us opportunity to come together with practice and policy colleagues to maximise the School’s contribution to building the evidence base for equitable, inclusive and cost-effective prevention and public health practice through to 2029.
Agenda
We have a packed and varied agenda for 2026 with distinguished speakers in public health practice and policy and many opportunities for networking. The agenda includes research sessions, digital stories and lightning talks from trainees and you’ll be hearing from our Voluntary Sector Evaluation Scheme (VoySES) and one of our Areas for Research Innovation (AfRI). We are excited to welcome our keynote speakers including Efua Poku-Amanfo, Head of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health and Social Care and head of NIHR and Professor Kevin Fenton London regional director at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities,
Regional Public Health Director at NHS London.
Capacity building
Our research trainees have prepared posters, lightning talks and digital stories to share with you. We hope you enjoy finding out about their research and career journeys. For many, this will be their first experience presenting a poster or talk at a conference, so please offer your support, encouragement and ask questions.
Getting to the venue
This year’s event is being held at the British Library, King’s Cross.
Sustainability
We are continuing to build on efforts from last year to make the ASM 2026 as sustainable as possible and working closely with our event partners BeaconHouse Events to do this. We will be serving a vegetarian and vegan lunch and minimising printing to reduce our environmental impact. When you registered, you told us how you would be travelling to the conference. All this information will be used to produce a carbon footprint report from the event so we can measure our impact and reduce our footprint for future conferences.
Our public partners
We are delighted to have members of our Public Partners Network (PAN) attending this year and taking part in various aspects of the meeting including the research programme sessions. Visit the PAN stand to take part in activities and chat to public partners and colleagues about involvement and engagement. The School’s PAN is a well-established group, advising researchers and helping to ensure dialogue between researchers and the public to embed public involvement into all aspects of our research.
Mental Health Awareness Week 2026
ASM 2026 falls during Mental Health Awareness Week 2026. This year, the Mental Health Foundation is asking people to join them in taking action to support good mental health. Even small actions can help us feel hopeful and less powerless. And while our individual actions matter, when we come together, we are even more powerful. Find out more on their website.
Awards
The SPHR PI&E and EDI awards recognise creativity, innovation and excellence in PI&E and EDI activities across the School and to inspire others. We will be announcing the winners of these awards during the conference. I would like to congratulate everyone who has been nominated and thanks to those who took the time to submit nominations.
I look forward to seeing you all and hope you take advantage of the opportunity to connect with each other.
Please follow #ASMSPHR2026 on
LinkedIn to stay updated and post using the hashtag to share your thoughts and reflections throughout the two days.
Professor Ashley Adamson, Director of the NIHR School for Public Health Research
Speaker bios
Efua Poku - Amanfo, Head of the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition
Efua joined the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition in January 2026. Efua has a wealth of experience having worked across both health and education policy at the Institute for Public Policy Research. There she led the public health work which led to the successful Healthy Places, Prosperous Lives report published in 2023 which outlined public health interventions to improve place-based health inequalities.
She then led the Institute’s work on children and young people, working across school exclusions, youth unemployment and special educational needs and disabilities provision.
Efua previously worked at the European Parliament and for young people’s mental health charity, Youth Access.
Hannah Lewis, Three Schools Prevention Post - doctoral Fellow
Dr Hannah Kate Lewis is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the NIHR Three Research Schools Prevention Research Programme, based at Queen Mary University of London. Her research focuses on body image, eating disorder prevention, and health inequalities, with expertise in culturally adapting interventions for diverse populations.
Hannah’s current work explores ethnicity and body dissatisfaction, including the coproduction and pilot testing of a culturally adapted version of ‘The Body Project’ for South Asian adolescent girls. Her approach emphasises participatory methods, working closely with young people, practitioners, and communities to ensure interventions are inclusive and effective.
With a background spanning academia, policy, and the charity sector, Hannah has contributed to national mental health policy and led research on children and young people’s mental health, early intervention, and health inequalities. She is committed to bridging research, policy, and practice, and to embedding lived experience at the heart of public health research.
Speaker bios
Kevin Fenton
Professor Kevin Fenton is the Regional Director for London in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) within the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Within this role, he is also the statutory public health advisor to the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority and the Regional Director of Public Health for NHS London. He is also the government’s Chief Advisor on HIV and Chair of the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group for England.
Before taking up the role of Regional Director for London, he held the joint position of Strategic Director of Place & Wellbeing and Director of Public Health at Southwark and was also a senior advisor to Public Health England.
He was awarded a CBE in the 2022 New Year honours list for services to public health.
Lucy Chappell
Professor Lucy Chappell is Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care and CEO of the NIHR. She has overall responsibility for DHSC research and development and for supporting the department's analysis.
Lucy is also Professor of Obstetrics at King’s College London, Honorary Consultant Obstetrician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and President of the Blair Bell Research Society.
She is a former NIHR Senior Investigator and NIHR Research Professor and was previously a member of the NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Clinical Evaluation and Trials Board.
Her research investigates prediction and prevention of adverse pregnancy outcomes, particularly in women with conditions such as hypertension, using a range of methodologies.
Posters
1. Helen Hoyle – Harnessing nature-based solutions towards public health benefits in Luton
2. Amina Benkhelfa – Active school environment associations with children’s physical activity, mental health and educational performance (and physical activity practices and policies in Greater London primary schools: a cross-sectional survey)
3. Sedighe Jebeli – Small Award, Big Learning: a Fellowship Application
4. Nurgul Gecer – How does poor parental mental health increase the risk of children’s care entry in the UK?
5. Francesca Murley – Understanding neglect: Social determinants of child protection plans by recorded maltreatment type in England
6. Joseph Bacon – From lecture hall to livestock market: My SPHR internship journey
Lightning talks
Wednesday 13 th May 11.45
Jacks Bennett – Public health impact…and me
Caroline Charlton – Increasing timely cervical screening participation in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation: project overview and output
Tom Davies – Understanding the effectiveness of Public Health intervention components
Lucy Anderson – Exploring the mental health co-benefits of local climate interventions in England
Thursday 14 th May 15:30
Rachel Marsden – The creative turn in public health research: Mapping arts-based methods in NIHR SPHR projects
Helen Hoyle – Harnessing nature-based solutions towards public health benefits in Luton
Digital stories
Wednesday 13 th May 14.40
Lizzy Winstone – Mind your feed: digital story
Ciara Thomas – Anxiety in girls and young women
Andy Mahon – Identifying ways to support college student mental health through physical activity
Libby Haynes – Building healthy workplaces for young adults
Wednesday 13 th May 16.40
Leah Attwell – Achieving impactful community involvement in early years parenting support
Samira Hiesl – Achieving net zero
Helen Little – Navigating early parenthood: the sleep, diet and physical activity experiences of new parents
Thursday 14 th May 12.00
Amy Turner – Dietary quality of lunches in English nurseries: A crosssectional analysis
Karen Ullian – Purchases of ultra-processed foods in England show social inequalities only among products high in fat, salt and sugar
Jennie Parnham – School breakfasts: a digital story
Thursday 14 th May 15.00
Cat Jackson – “Everyone needs food” A collaborative exhibition
Neha Jain – Oral health support in family hubs
Rosalyn Arnold – Beyond the income line: What food insecurity reveals Francesca Murley – My journey as an NIHR research intern
Davara Bennett – Inequalities in children entering care in England
Mental Health Awareness Week 2026
Action: for yourself, for someone else, for all of us
This Mental Health Awareness Week the Mental Health Foundation is asking people to join them in taking action to support good mental health. Even small actions can help us feel hopeful and less powerless. And while our individual actions matter, when we come together, we are even more powerful. Raising awareness is vital, but real change comes when we take action too.
For yourself
This Mental Health Awareness Week, find your one thing to boost your mental health. Choose one positive action that works for you.
While there are no organised runs or walks this year at the ASM, please take time to read, walk or another positive action for your mental health. There is an allocated quiet space (Dikens Room) and there are green spaces nearby in Bloomsbury and King’s Cross that you can explore.
For someone else
The environment we live in impacts our mental health. What can you do to help build mentally healthy communities, workplaces and schools?
For all of us
Individual actions matter, but they're only part of the story. We need those in power to take action to ensure good mental health for everyone in the UK.
Wear it green day (Thursday 14 th May)
On Thursday 14th May, join us for Wear It Green Day to raise awareness for mental health.
Tipsheets
• Top ten actions for good mental health
• Quick actions for a mental health boost
• Eight actions to improve mental health in the long - term
Find out more on the Mental Health Foundation website #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
Delegate list
APeymane Adab , PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
Jean Adams , University of Cambridge
Ashley Adamson , SPHR Director
Tomi Ajetunmobi , Public Health Scotland
Patricia Albers , (University of Bristol)
Nicola Aldridge , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Sara Alfaraidi, UCL
Khaliil Ali, Unity Gym Project
Olivia Alliott , University of Cambridge
Philip Anyawu , PHRESH (University of Warwick)
Ella Anderson , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Lucy Anderson , University of Bristol
Mirela Andreeva, LSHTM
Ryc Aquino , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Jessica Armitage , University of Exeter
Bronia Arnott , SPHR Directorate
Tilly Attrill , University of Exeter
Leah Attwell , University of Exeter
Abimbola Ayorinde , PHRESH (University of Warwick)
BEwaoluwayimika Babalola, YPAN
Joseph Bacon , University of Exeter
Haliyya Bakare , PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
Charlotte Bardell , University of Exeter
Marco Bardus , PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
Anamika Basu , LSHTM
Sarah Bates , University of Sheffield
Sean Beevers , Imperial College London
Amina Benkhelfa, Imperial College London
Davara Bennett , LiLaC (University of Liverpool)
Jacks Bennett , University of Bristol
Fran Bernhardt , Sustain
Charan Bijlani , Imperial College London
Penny Birmpili , University of Southampton
Susan Bowett , SPHR Directorate
Alan Brennan , University of Sheffield
Kerry Brennan - Tovey , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Adam Briggs , NIHR
Kerry Ann Brown , University of Exeter
Ollie Brown , DHSC
Eleanor Bryant , University of Exeter
Anne Buffardi, Islington council/LSHTM
Thomas Burgoine , University of Cambridge
Andrea Burrows , Fuse (University of Teesside)
Catherine Butler , University of Exeter
Rona Campbell , University of Bristol
Joht Singh Chandan , PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
Kiara Chang , Imperial College London
Lucy Chappell , DHSC
Caroline Charlton , Fuse (University of Northumbria)
Rachel Clark , DHSC
Zoe Clarke , University of Sheffield
Joyce Coker , University of Cambridge
Joe Coombes , PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
Billie Cooper , Camden Council
Laura Cornelsen , LSHTM
Andy Cowan , University of Cambridge
Hanna Creese , Imperial College London
Steven Cummins , LSHTM
Esther Curtin , LSHTM
D
Michael Daly , University of Bristol
Katrina d'Apice , University of Bristol
Florence Darling , Gateshead Health Determinants
Research Collaboration, Fuse
Thomas Davies , University of Bristol
Rowan Streckfuss Davis , University of Exeter
Frank de Vocht , University of Bristol
Helen Dodd , University of Exeter
Caroline Dodd - Reynolds , Fuse (University of Durham)
E
Matt Egan , LSHTM
Helen Eke , University of Exeter
F
Hannah Fairbrother , University of Sheffield
Laura Fenton , University of Sheffield
Kevin Fenton , OHID
Brian Ferguson , SPHR Advisory Board
Laura Fenwick , SPHR Directorate
Kim Foley , Imperial College London
Camilla Forbes , University of Exeter
Donna Franklin , University of Sheffield
GHayley Gains , University of Cambridge
Nurgul Gecer , LiLaC (University of Liverpool)
Christopher Gidlow , PHRESH (University of Keele)
Barshana Goswami , University of Exeter
Elizabeth Goyder , University of Sheffield
Nancy Gullett , Imperial College London
Delegate list
HLesley Haley , Fuse
Maria Hanini , University of Sheffield
Dougal Hargreaves , Imperial College London
Deborah Harrison , NIHR Specialist Centre for Public Health
Louise Hayes , NIHR Specialist Centre for Public Health
Libby Haynes , University of Cambridge
Ellie Hepworth , University of Exeter
Georgia Herbert , University of Cambridge
Nicola Heslehurst , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Samira Hiesl , Imperial College London
Frances Hillier - Brown , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Steven Hope , Imperial College London
Helen Hoyle , University of Sheffield
John Hume , People’s Health Trust
Kiya Hurley , PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
JCatherine Jackson , LiLaC (University of Liverpool)
Theo Jackson , Nuffield Trust
Catherine Jacobs , South Gloucestershire Council
Russell Jago , University of Bristol
Neha Jain , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Osman Jama, University of Sheffield
Usman Javaid , Public partner
Sedighe Jebeli, PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
Jayne Jeffries , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Sisi Jia, University of Sydney
Amy Johnson , SPHR Directorate
Martha Jordan , University of Bristol
KSangeeta Kalia, University of Sheffield
Rukun Khalaf , LiLaC (University of Liverpool)
Judi Kidger, University of Bristol
Ruth Kipping , University of Bristol
Liz Kitchin , University of Sheffield
Nuri Kwon , LiLaC (University of Lancaster)
LAmelia Lake , Fuse (University of Teesside)
Anthony Laverty , Imperial College London
Caroline Lee , University of Cambridge
Paris Lee , LiLaC (University of Liverpool)
Amanda Lewis , Public partner
Hannah Lewis , Queen Mary University of London
Helen Little , University of Cambridge
Jenny Lloyd , University of Exeter
MAndy Mahon , University of Bristol
Dalya Marks , LSHTM
Rachel Marsden , PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
Will Mason , University of Sheffield
Franki Mathews , University of Exeter
Calum Mattocks , University of Cambridge
Emma McFadyen , University of Exeter
Elizabeth McGill , LSHTM
Rebecca Mead , LiLaC (University of Lancaster)
G.J. Melendez - Torres , University of Exeter
Yessica Mestre , LiLaC (University of Lancaster)
Safina Miah , LSHTM
Rachel Miller , University of Exeter
Sadia Mir , Public partner
Helen Moore , Fuse (University of Teesside)
Francesca Murley - Holmes , LiLaC (University of Liverpool)
Marie Murphy , PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
Daniel Mutanda, University of Exeter
N
Tamsin Newlove - Delgado , University of Exeter
Lucie Nield , University of Sheffield
O
Lucy Oakey , PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
Kathryn Oliver , LSHTM
Claire O'Malley , Fuse (University of Teesside)
Lois Orton , University of Sheffield
P
Miranda Pallan , PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
Jean Palmer , Public partner
Jenna Panter, University of Cambridge
Jennie Parnham , Imperial College London
Priya Patel , Public partner
Priyamvada Paudyal , PHRESH (University of Keele)
Paul Pickford , Public partner
Lindsey Pike , University of Bristol
Pat Pinkowska, University of Exeter
Efua Poku - Amanfo , Children and Young People's
Mental Health Coalition
Jennie Popay , LiLaC (University of Lancaster)
Katie Powell , University of Sheffield
Maddy Power, LSHTM
Rachel Proctor , University of Exeter
QLorna Quinn , Sheffield Hallam University
Delegate list
R
Yasmin Rahman , University of Cambridge
Bina Ram , Imperial College London
Judith Rankin , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Mohammad Razai, University of Cambridge
Chiara Rinaldi, LSHTM
Laura Ritson , SPHR Directorate
Freya Robb , Science Media Centre
Agata Robertson , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Hannah Robinson , University of Bristol
Abby Russell , University of Exeter
Max Rutherford , People's Health Trust
S
Ruth Salway , University of Bristol
Gillian Samuel , The McPin Foundation
Sonia Saxena, Imperial college London
Stephanie Scott , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Maureen Seguin , LSHTM
Kerstin Sell , University of Bristol
Letitia Sermin - Reed , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Michael Sewell , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Raheela Shaikh , PHRESH (University of Warwick)
Oshin Sharma, Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Deborah Smart , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Rich Smith , University of Exeter
Suzanne Spence , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Liam Spencer , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Afroditi Stathi, PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
Kamil Sterniczuk , Public partner
Steve Strong , Public partner
Carolyn Summerbell , Fuse (University of Durham)
Zoe Swithenbank , LiLaC (University of Lancaster)
TClaire Tatton , Torbay Council, University of Exeter
David Taylor- Robinson , LiLaC (University of
Liverpool)
Michelle Tester- Jones, University of Exeter
Ciara Thomas , University of Bristol
Kate Timmins , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Laura Tinner , University of Bristol
Kirsty Jane Tooke , University of Exeter
Susannah Tooze , University of Cambridge
Lee Towers , Fuse (University of Teesside)
Amy Turner, University of Bristol
Rachel Tynan , People’s Health Trust
U
Poppy Ulett , University of Exeter
Karen Ullian , LSHTM
V
Eszter Vamos , Imperial College London
Milica Vasiljevic, Fuse (University of Durham)
WMark Welford , Fuse (University of Teesside)
Justin Wen , Fuse (University of Newcastle)
Alana Whatmore , PHRESH (University of Birmingham)
Ben Wheeler , University of Exeter
Emily Widnall , University of Bristol
Kath Wilkinson , University of Exeter
Jo Williams , University of Bristol and Bristol City Council
