Evaluating equitable recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic through a systems and intersectional lens – a funded PhD based in the Division of Health Research at Lancaster University
Public health practice and efforts to improve the social determinants of health operate within a climate characterised by multiple and intersecting crises including the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet research and practice has tended to focus on shorter term and immediate crisis responses (e.g., public health control measures) rather than longer-term social and economic recovery. This studentship is focused on identifying and evaluating the extent to which local strategies for longer term recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic are equitable. The causes of health inequalities include the circumstances in which people live, work, and age (the social determinants of health). They can also be caused by experiences of discrimination linked to gender, ethnicity, where you live, or social class. Public health research has traditionally investigated a single dimension of health inequalities (e.g., socio-economic status or ethnicity) and treated social groups as homogeneous. Increasingly, however, it is recognised that an intersectional perspective is required to adequately understand patterns of health inequalities and the design and impact of action to reduce them. The studentship will be situated within a national research programme on health inequalities led by Professors Jennie Popay (Lancaster University) and Clare Bambra (Newcastle University) within the NIHR funded School for Public Health Research. In particular, it will be aligned with a research study under this programme, concerned with action being taken to ‘level up’ people’s living and working conditions and promote pandemic recovery through a focus on improving structural determinants of health. The research also has a focus on understanding the wider interacting political, economic and social factors (e.g. cost of living crisis) that are exacerbating inequalities. It is anticipated that the studentship will adopt a systems lens to researching strategies to promote equitable Covid-19 recovery. Systems approaches to evaluation commonly adopt a diverse range of methods to explore the effectiveness of interventions. Candidates applying for the role may bring preferred skills and interests (e.g., qualitative or quantitative methods including health economics). We would particularly welcome applications from potential students interested in developing expertise and capabilities in mixed methods as part of their doctoral training.
Based at Lancaster University (Division of Health Research), the successful student will have access to a wide range of doctoral training opportunities within Lancaster university and within the NIHR School for Public Health Research. They will be part of a leading public health research collaboration at Lancaster University and Liverpool university (LiLaC). They will also be associated with HEAL (Health Economics @ Lancaster), with a focus on the development and application of quantitative research methods capable of informing health policy-making through empirical evidence, and with the Centre for Health Inequalities Research, which aims to contribute to greater health equity for communities locally, nationally and internationally.
This is a three-year funded studentship covering tuition fees plus stipend at UKRI rates.
For details of how to apply and closing date: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/evaluating-equitable-recovery-from-the-covid-19-pandemic-through-a-systems-and-intersectional-lens/?p159532