SPHR ASM Programme 2026

Annual Scientific Meeting 2026 From sickness to prevention: policies and partnerships for healthy communities

Contents Venue map………………………………………………

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Programme day 1……………………………………

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Programme day 2…………………………………… 4 Welcome from the Director…………………….

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Keynote speaker bios……………………………… 7 Posters and lightning talks…………………….. 9 Digital stories………………………………………….. 10 Mental Health Awareness Week 2026……. 11 Delegate list…………………………………………….

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With thanks 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.

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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.

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Programme day 1 Wednesday 13th 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

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Programme day 2 Thursday 14 th May 08.30

Registration and refreshments

09.00

Welcome, Professor Ashley Adamson Director, NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR)

09.05

Keynote speaker - Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department of Health and Social Care

09.40

Keynote speaker - Professor Kevin Fenton, London regional director at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Regional Public Health Director at NHS London

10.15

Introduction followed by Awards for PI&E, EDI, and Directors Special Awards

10.45

Refreshment break, networking and poster viewing 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!

11.15

Research session – Public health challenges

12.15

Voluntary Sector Evaluation Scheme (VoySES) • Discrimination and health • Good work for health

12.45

Networking lunch

13.45

Innovation in public involvement (SPHR Area for Research Innovation - AfRI)

14.15

Research session – Inclusive research

15.15

Refreshment break

15.30

SPHR Trainees – lightning talks/digital stories A series of short talks from SPHR trainees

16.00

Trainee Awards (posters, lightning talks and digital stories)

16.15

Closing remarks, Professor Ashley Adamson

16.30

Meeting day 2 close

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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.

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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.

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

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

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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.

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Speaker bios

Kevin Fenton

Lucy Chappell

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.

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.

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.

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.

He was awarded a CBE in the 2022 New Year honours list for services to public health.

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.

Her research investigates prediction and prevention of adverse pregnancy outcomes, particularly in women with conditions such as hypertension, using a range of methodologies.

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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 13th 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

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Digital stories Wednesday 13th 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 13th 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

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Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 Action: for yourself, for someone else, for all of us

Wear it green day (Thursday 14 th May)

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.

On Thursday 14th May, join us for Wear It Green Day to raise awareness for mental health.

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.

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

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.

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Delegate list A Peymane 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)

B Ewaoluwayimika 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)

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Matt Egan, LSHTM Helen Eke, University of Exeter

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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

G Hayley 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

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Delegate list H

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Lesley 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)

Andy 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

J Catherine Jackson, LiLaC (University of Liverpool) Theo Jackson, Nuffield Trust Catherine Jacobs, South Gloucestershire Council

N Tamsin Newlove-Delgado, University of Exeter Lucie Nield, University of Sheffield

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

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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

Sangeeta 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)

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Amelia 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

Lucy Oakey, PHRESH (University of Birmingham) Kathryn Oliver, LSHTM Claire O'Malley, Fuse (University of Teesside) Lois Orton, University of Sheffield

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Q Lorna Quinn, Sheffield Hallam University

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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)

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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

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Poppy Ulett, University of Exeter Karen Ullian, LSHTM

V Eszter Vamos, Imperial College London Milica Vasiljevic, Fuse (University of Durham)

W Mark 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 Michelle Wilson Chalmers, SPHR Directorate Eleanor Winpenny, Imperial College London Lizzy Winstone, University of Bristol Jonathan Wood, LiLaC (University of Liverpool) Katrina Wyatt, University of Exeter

Claire Tatton, Torbay Council, University of Exeter David Taylor-Robinson, LiLaC (University of

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