Claire Thompson

Claire Thompson is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire within the Prevention and Early Detection in Health and Social Care (PEDHSC) Theme of NIHR East of England Applied Research Collaboration. She holds an Associate membership at the Population Health Innovation Lab, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Her research focuses on food poverty, urban regeneration, and the social determinants of health, particularly among marginalized populations. She completed an ESRC-funded PhD in Human Geography at Queen Mary University of London and an MA in Social Sciences at the Open University.

Research interests include food environments, welfare reform impacts, and community responses to health inequalities. She has led projects on takeaway outlet management policies, food aid systems, and health disparities in minority communities. Key collaborations include work with public health organizations and local authorities to design equitable interventions.

• Education:
  • PhD in Human Geography, Queen Mary University of London (ESRC-funded)
  • MA in Social Sciences, Open University

Her work emphasizes participatory approaches, integrating lived experiences into policy design. Notable projects include the SALIENT initiative addressing food systems and health, and the F4Y study on food aid for pensioner households.

• Awards:
  • Wellcome Trust Society and Ethics Fellowship (2017-?))

Her research highlights systemic issues like hostile environments for immigrants and the commercial determinants of health in public hospitals. She advises on policies balancing economic and health priorities, such as takeaway zoning near schools and food aid accessibility.