Catherine Homer

Dr. Catherine Homer is an Associate Professor of Obesity and Public Health at Sheffield Hallam University, based in the School of Sport and Physical Activity (SoSPA). She leads the Healthy and Active 100 research theme in the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) and serves as Deputy Editor of Perspectives in Public Health. With 20+ years of experience in public health and obesity research, she has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications and secured research grants totaling £7.4 million as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Investigator (Co-I).

• Education: PhD (2020), MA, BSc, Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health (FRSPH)
• Research Focus: Public health policy, obesity interventions, health inequalities, coproduction methodologies, and service evaluation.

Her current projects include a £1.5M NIHR-funded study evaluating NHS Excess Weight Clinics for children (ENHANCE) and a £5M collaboration on health determinants in Doncaster. She actively collaborates with NHS trusts, universities, and local authorities across the UK.

Grants & Collaborations

• PI: ENHANCE (£1.5M NIHR HS&DR, 2024-26)
• Co-I: Doncaster Health Determinants Research Collaboration (£5M NIHR PHR, 2022-27)
• Key Partners: Leeds Beckett University, University of Sheffield, NHS England

Dr. Homer supervises six PhD students exploring topics like social prescribing in paediatric weight management and neurodiverse children’s healthcare needs. She champions equity-focused research and has contributed to policy through her roles as Public Health Specialty Research Lead for the NIHR Research Delivery Network (Yorkshire and Humber).