Melissa Palmer
BSc MSc PhD
Assistant Professor
I joined LSHTM in 2009 to undertake the MSc in Reproductive and Sexual Health Research. I then completed my PhD examining the circumstances of first sexual intercourse among young people in Britain. I have since worked at the school as a Research Fellow, contributing to analyses of data from the National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal). I am currently working on various projects, including a randomised controlled trial of a safer sex intervention delivered through mobile phone messaging, led by Professor Caroline Free.
Affiliations
Teaching
I teach on the Statistics for Epidemiology and Population Health, Foundations in Reproductive Health, Research Design and Analysis, and Analysing Survey and Population Data modules. I am also a tutor for the Basic Statistics for Clinical Trials (Distance Learning Module), and a personal tutor for the Reproductive and Sexual Health Research MSc.
Research
Current and recent research includes:
1. safetxt: A randomised controlled trial of an intervention delivered by mobile phone messaging to reduce sexually transmitted infections (STI) by increasing sexual health precaution behaviours in young people. PI: Professor Caroline Free
2. Analyses of Natsal data: I continue to work on various analyses of data from the National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal), which have been carried out in Britain every 10 years since 1990.
3. Global Study of Sexual Behaviour: this project is bringing together data from over 60 countries worldwide in order to examine patterns and trends in sexual behaviour over time. PIs: Professor Kaye Wellings and Dr Emma Slaymaker
4. Systematic reviews: I have worked on various systematic reviews examining the effect of mHealth interventions on health behaviours and outcomes.