Ford Hickson

Dr Ford Hickson serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health, Environments and Society within LSHTM's Faculty of Public Health and Policy. With over three decades of research experience, he directs the MSc Public Health program and teaches core modules including Principles of Social Research, Alcohol/Tobacco/Drugs, Social Epidemiology, Health Promotion, and Sexual Health.

His educational background includes a BSc in Psychology (1988), PhD in Authority, HIV and Sex between Men in England (Portsmouth University, 2008), and a BA in Opera Studies (Rose Bruford College, 2014). He co-curates the Global Queer Cinema Club and actively participates in LSHTM's LGBTQ+ Network.

Hickson's research focuses on HIV/STI prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM), with particular expertise in sexual behavior patterns, chemsex, and gender/sexuality variable measurement. His work bridges epidemiological analysis with community-based interventions, emphasizing digital health solutions like the safetxt STI prevention program. Current projects address improvements in sex, gender, and sexuality variables within public health datasets.

His publication portfolio shows consistent thematic focus across 135+ works, with recent outputs emphasizing mental health intersections (2025), chemsex coordination frameworks (2024), and digital intervention effectiveness (2023). The research demonstrates strong methodological diversity spanning qualitative analysis, Bayesian spatial modeling, and randomized controlled trials.

• Senior Fellowship of Higher Education Authority (2024)
• Co-authorship of England's national HIV prevention strategy "Making It Count" (1998)
• Leadership in National Gay Men's Sex Survey (1997-2008)
• European MSM Internet Survey coordination (2010, 2017)

Hickson advises PhD candidates and serves on multiple committees including the Office for National Statistics' Sexual Identity Project Expert Research Group. His grant portfolio features the Taiwan-UK Sex Gender and Sexuality Health Network (ESRC-funded) and HIV prevention tool development projects. He maintains active collaboration with Sigma Research (integrated into LSHTM in 2011) and contributes to European public health initiatives through the Antimicrobial Resistance Centre and Centre for Evaluation.