معرفی
Emma Coombes is a Research Fellow in Epidemiology and Public Health at the Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia (UEA). She holds a PhD in Environmental Science from UEA and has an extensive interdisciplinary background combining geography, environmental science, and public health. She is actively involved in research on environmental and social determinants of health, with a focus on physical activity, health interventions, and access to health services. Emma teaches on the MB BS programme and is a guest lecturer in Sports Psychology at UEA’s School of Education.
- PhD in Environmental Science (2007), University of East Anglia
- MSc by Research in Environmental Science (2003), University of East Anglia
- BSc (Hons) in Geography (2001), University of Aberdeen
Emma's research centers on understanding how environmental and social factors influence health behaviors and outcomes. She has particular expertise in physical activity, utilizing GPS technology to analyze environmental impacts. Her work spans qualitative and quantitative methodologies, with a strong emphasis on multivariate data analysis. She investigates health intervention effectiveness, help-seeking behaviors in rural populations, and the role of greenspace in public health.
Her recent publications reflect a strong focus on mental health in youth, family-based physical activity interventions, tobacco pricing disparities, and the microbiome-greenspace connection. These works demonstrate a consistent trend in using innovative data sources (e.g., GPS, point-of-sale data, twin cohorts) to explore public health questions with policy relevance.
Emma has contributed to research aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to health and wellbeing. Her work has been disseminated through reports, peer-reviewed articles, and preprints, and has attracted media attention and academic readership.
She has been involved in multiple externally funded projects, including those with the National Institute for Health and Care Research and The Big C Appeal. These projects include evaluations of community health walks, cancer support services, and family physical activity programmes. While no formal advisees are listed, her collaborative research involves mentoring and team-based inquiry.
Emma is part of a dynamic research network in public health at UEA, collaborating with experts in epidemiology, psychology, and environmental science. Her work is embedded in interdisciplinary teams focused on health inequalities, active living, and mental health service access, particularly in rural-urban contexts.
