I am a social epidemiologist whose research focuses on how digital environments influence the health and wellbeing of children and young people. My work sits at the intersection of public health, causal epidemiology, social psychology, and digital policy. I examine how online environments and social media platforms shape adolescent health behaviours and inequalities. Conceptualising digital technologies as structured environments shaped by commercial incentives, I apply advanced causal methods to understand how these systems affect young people, particularly those most at risk.
I am the recipient of a Wellcome Trust Fellowship and founder of the Digital Determinants of Health Hub, which develops innovative and ethical approaches to studying online environments. The Hub combines data donation methods, generative AI, and causal inference to analyse social media data and generate robust evidence on digital exposures and health.
My research is youth-centred and policy-engaged. I work closely with young people through advisory groups and participatory approaches, and convene a Policy Advisory Group that brings together stakeholders from government, public health, education and civil society to help translate research into policy and practice.
My work has informed educators, health organisations, regulators and governments. I have advised bodies including the United Nations, 10 Downing Street and Ofcom, and my research has been published in journals including the British Medical Journal. My work has also featured in national and international media including the BBC, The Times and The Scotsman.
Affiliations
Teaching
I contribute to training and capacity building in public health and causal epidemiology, particularly in relation to digital environments and adolescent health. My training activities include delivering workshops and briefings for policymakers, public health practitioners and research partners on topics such as advanced causal methods, digital determinants of health, and the implications of online environments for population health.
Prior to joining the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, I was a Lecturer in Healthcare Management at the University of Glasgow, where I contributed teaching to the Master of Public Health (MPH) programme, including the Management of Healthcare Organisations module.
I am interested in supervising MSc, DrPH and PhD students working on topics related to digital determinants of health, social media and health, adolescent wellbeing, and causal epidemiology.
Research
My research focuses on the digital determinants of health, examining how online environments influence adolescent health behaviours, wellbeing and inequalities.
Through the Digital Determinants of Health Hub, my work develops new methodological approaches for measuring and analysing digital exposures, including:
- Objective social media data donation methods
- Generative AI approaches for analysing multimodal social media content
- Causal inference methods to estimate the health impacts of online environments
- Youth-centred research approaches that embed participatory design and co-production
Current research examines how exposure to harmful content on social media platforms relates to adolescent health-risk behaviours such as alcohol use, drug use, and antisocial behaviour.
More broadly, my work seeks to generate robust evidence that can inform safer and more equitable digital environments. By combining epidemiology, computational approaches and policy engagement, my research aims to support evidence-based regulation and public health responses to emerging digital risks.
Research areas include:
- Digital determinants of health
- Adolescent health and wellbeing
- Social media and online environments
- Health inequalities
- Causal epidemiology
Selected Publications
