Katie Newby

Katie Newby is an Associate Professor in Health Behaviour Change at the University of Hertfordshire’s Research School of Life and Medical Sciences, Department of Psychology, Sport and Geography. She leads the Public Health and Applied Behaviour Change Laboratory and holds affiliations with the Centre for Research in Psychology and Sports. Her research focuses on developing and evaluating health behavior change interventions, particularly digital interventions and risk appraisal strategies targeting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), vaccination uptake, and sexual behavior.

Dr. Newby has secured significant funding from bodies such as the Medical Research Council (MRC), National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), and Cancer Research UK. She has led projects including the Halo trial (2024–2028), a randomized controlled trial to reduce STIs among high-risk groups, and the ELBOW project evaluating health check systems with online booking. Her work also involves adapting health interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as remote exercise referral programs.

Her research interests emphasize digital health innovation, behavioral intervention design, and public health strategy. She has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles in journals like PLOS Digital Health and BMC Public Health, focusing on topics ranging from condom use promotion to vaccine risk communication. Collaborations span global health initiatives, such as HIV self-testing trials in Uganda, and interdisciplinary projects on virtual reality exergames for youth.

• Key Projects:
  • Halo Trial: Reducing STIs via behavioral interventions
  • ELBOW: Evaluating health check systems
  • CoPACT: Community-based pandemic response evaluation
• Funding Sources: MRC, NIHR, Cancer Research UK
• Labs/Teams: Public Health and Applied Behaviour Change Laboratory