Dr Jo Kesten
BSc(Lough.), PhD(Lough.)
Current positions
Senior Research Fellow
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Contact
Press and media
Many of our academics speak to the media as experts in their field of research. If you are a journalist, please contact the University’s Media and PR Team:
Research interests
Joanna’s research interests are the use of qualitative methods to understand ‘what works, for whom and in what circumstances’ in public health interventions. In particular her research explores the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of public health interventions. Joanna primarily uses qualitative methods in her research and is also interested in mixed methods research. Most of her research to date has been in the areas of child health and physical activity interventions.
Joanna joined the NIHR CLAHRC West and the Health Protection Research Unit in February 2015. Prior to this she worked in the Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences on the Bristol Girls Dance Project, a cluster randomised controlled trial designed to determine the effectiveness of a dance-intervention to improve the objectively assessed physical activity of 11-12 year old girls with Professor Russ Jago. Before moving to Bristol, Joanna spent a year in CEDAR (Centre for Diet and Activity Research) at Cambridge University, examining the effects of environmental changes on travel behaviour, physical activity and health.
Her PhD thesis examined the role of community readiness in the prevention of overweight and obesity in pre-adolescent girls.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Improving HIV prevention and testing in GP practices
Role
Co-Principal Investigator
Description
What we found and what this means
The study identified several barriers to HIV testing in general practice, including:
Low levels of knowledge about HIV and PrEP among some GP staff
Concerns about…Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/11/2022 to 31/12/2029
Vending machines for HIV self-testing and STI self-sampling kits
Role
Co-Principal Investigator
Description
Vending machine users found the service acceptable and easy to use. Uptake was high in public settings, especially among young people as well as men-who-have-sex-with-men but who otherwise do not…Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/10/2022 to 01/08/2024
8538 Opioid overdose deaths: Understanding the lethal interactions between benzodiazepines and opioids to develop new harm reduction strategies (MRC MR/W029162/1)
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Public Health and Primary CareDates
01/07/2022 to 31/03/2026
Improving access to HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP): examining pharmacy delivery
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
Scoping review: Our researchers searched 10 databases to review the published evidence. They identified 649 potentially relevant journal articles and after screening for eligibility, reviewed 56. Most of the eligible…Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/02/2022 to 01/01/2027
Back to School: What young people, parents, carers and teachers think about COVID-19 measures in secondary schools
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
What we found and what this means
Concerns about COVID-19 risk at school were outweighed by the potential impacts of missing learning. Interviewees described a wide variety of school COVID-19 measures…Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/06/2020 to 31/03/2021
Thesis supervisions
Publications
Recent publications
11/02/2026Development and implementation of a pharmacy PrEP awareness-raising and referral pathway
Sexually Transmitted Infections
MAternal Dietary changEs (MADE) Study Protocol
Clinical and Experimental Allergy
Understanding Vaccination Uptake Amongst Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in UK Sexual Health Services
Vaccines
MAternal Dietary changEs (MADE)
MAternal Dietary changEs (MADE)
Development and implementation of pharmacy PrEP awareness raising and initiation: acceptability and feasibility of a UK pilot
Related people
Professor Jeremy Horwood
Professor of Social Science and Health
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Professor Matthew Hickman
Professor in Public Health and Epidemiology
Dr Ava Lorenc
Research Fellow
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Dr China Harrison
Research Fellow in Qualitative and Behavioural Science
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Dr Jenny Scott
Senior Lecturer
Bristol Medical School (PHS)