معرفی
Kathryn Higgins is a Professor of Social Science and Health at Queen’s University Belfast, directing the cross-Faculty Queen's Communities and Place Initiative. She leads the Belfast Youth Development Study, a 18-year longitudinal investigation into substance use and youth development. Her expertise spans substance use interventions, programme evaluation, and implementation science, with funding from NIHR, MRC, and ESRC. She teaches on the MSc in Substance Use and Disorders and contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and community well-being.
Education: PhD in Social Science (2007, Queen’s University Belfast), focusing on substance use outbreaks. Previous leadership roles include directorships of the Centre for Evidence and Social Innovation and the Institute for Child Care Research.
Research Interests: Substance use pathways, adolescent development, community cohesion, and evidence-based policy. Her work emphasizes participatory action research and RCTs for school/community interventions. Key areas include alcohol prevention, mental health policy, and mechanisms for scaling evidence-based practices.
Recent Article Trends: Focus on longitudinal cohort analysis (e.g., mid-adulthood outcomes of adolescent substance use), community narratives in Belfast, and integrating census data with policy evaluation. Recent work highlights the intersection of youth behavioral health and urban resilience.
- Awards: 2018 Qstep Teaching Set Competition winner
- Grants: Active projects include AHRC community narrative initiatives and NI Census data integration (2024-2025)
- Advisory Roles: Board member at Queen’s University Belfast and HSC Research & Development Northern Ireland
Media & Outreach: Hosted the QCASTS podcast series addressing addiction, youth suicide, and community wealth building. Authored blogs on new psychoactive substances and policy impacts.
