Professor Chris Bonell
MA MSc MSc PhD
Professor
of Public Health & Sociology
LSHTM
15-17 Tavistock Place
London
WC1H 9SH
United Kingdom
Prior to working at LSHTM I was Professor of Sociology & Social Policy at University College London and Professor of Sociology & Social Intervention at the University of Oxford. I was also previously Research Team Leader in the UK government’s Social Exclusion Unit.
My main areas of research are on adolescent health, sexual health and evaluation methodology.
My research on adolescent health focuses on how schools and school based interventions can benefit or harm young people’s health. My research on sexual health examines the broader social determinants of adolescent sexual health behaviours and outcomes, and interventions to address these.
In terms of evaluation methodology I have written a number of methodological papers on: theorising and evaluating intervention harms; realist trials which combined rigorous evaluations of intervention effects with quantitative and qualitative analyses of what works for whom under what conditions; systematic reviews not only of effectiveness evidence but also process evaluation, qualitative evidence and theories of change; situations in which randomised trials are not appropriate and what alternatives exist; process evaluation; and empirical assessment of intervention transferability. Recent work on ‘dark logic models’ and 'realist trials' have twice been awarded the President’s Prize by the European Society for Prevention Research.
I am an NIHR Senior Investigator and was a participant on various SAGE subcommittees advising government on Covid-19.
Affiliations
Centres
Teaching
I currently lecture on Health Promotion Foundations, Health Promotion Approaches and Methods, Evaluation of Public Health Interventions, Principles of Social Research and Qualitative Methods.
I am interested in applications for doctoral study in the above areas.
Research
Current major projects include:
Randomised controlled trial of the Positive Choices whole-school sexual health intervention. PI, National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme.
Feasibility study of the Learning Together for Mental Health whole-school intervention to promote mental health. Co-PI, National Insitute for Health Research Public Health Research programme.
4th National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles. Co-I (LSHTM PI), Wellcome Trust/ESRC/NIHR.