Adam Benkwitz

Dr. Adam Benkwitz holds the rank of Reader (equivalent to Associate Professor) in the Sociology of Sport and Health at Newman University’s Faculty of Arts, Society and Professional Studies. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health (FRSPH). His roles include serving on the NIHR Public Health Research Programme Funding Committee and the Council of Deans for Health Research Strategy Group. He has led over £900,000 in grant-funded projects focused on mental health, physical activity, and community recovery initiatives. His research emphasizes co-produced interventions targeting marginalized groups, including those with mental health challenges and young people with autism.

Benkwitz’s work spans applied health research collaborations with organizations such as Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Sport England, and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust (BSMHFT). He chairs the BSMHFT Recovery Committee and supervises three active PhD students exploring topics like autism-related loneliness and tobacco prevention among Black men. His teaching spans undergraduate and postgraduate programs, integrating learning analytics to enhance student engagement and well-being.

Key research themes include the role of physical activity in mental health recovery, community-based peer support systems, and the sociocultural dimensions of sports. His 2023-2024 publications highlight innovations in recovery colleges, football-based mental health interventions, and strategies to reduce social isolation through physical activity. He has presented widely on these topics at conferences in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Benkwitz has received the Advance HE Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (2019) and has held leadership roles including former Head of Subject for Health and Social Care at Newman. His grants include a 2024 NIHR-funded study on collaborative community health research and a 2020 Comic Relief-funded project evaluating mental health-physical activity linkages. He also contributes to public policy through Birmingham City Council’s ‘Mentally Healthy City’ Forum.

His mentoring programs and student-centered initiatives have been supported by HEFCE Catalyst Funds, emphasizing compassionate pedagogy and data-driven improvements. Benkwitz actively bridges academic research with practice, maintaining partnerships across universities, healthcare providers, and community organizations to advance recovery-oriented systems of care.