Dr Lucy Anderson
NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) Transdisciplinary Fellow, 2024 - 2026
Lucy Anderson was an NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) Transdisciplinary Fellow in the Centre for Public Health from 2024 to 2026 and continues to be an Honorary Research Fellow in the department.
During her Fellowship, Lucy combined her background in environmental science and experience working in the voluntary sector with formal training in public health research, including completing an MSc with distinction.
Her research focused on the links between climate change and public health, particularly how local actions to improve air quality and tackle climate change can affect people's mental health.
Lucy reviewed existing research on the mental health impacts of climate-related interventions in high-income countries and carried out her own research with local authorities in England. This explored whether, and how, councils consider mental health when delivering initiatives such as home retrofit programmes and liveable neighbourhoods.
Working with researchers from the Universities of Exeter and Sheffield, PHRESH, and public contributors, Lucy used policy analysis, stakeholder engagement and community-based research to examine the wider impacts of climate action.
Her findings highlighted opportunities for climate initiatives to improve mental health, while showing the importance of designing and delivering interventions in ways that maximise benefits and reduce health inequalities.