Susie Sykes

Professor Susie Sykes is a Professor of Public Health and Health Promotion at London South Bank University (LSBU), where she has been employed since 2006. She serves as Director of the Health and Wellbeing Research Centre and Director of PHIRST South Bank, one of eight UK-wide NIHR-funded centres evaluating public health interventions. Her work emphasizes community-based approaches to address health inequalities through critical health literacy development.

Susie Sykes holds the following academic qualifications:

• PhD in Public Health, London South Bank University (2011-2015)
• Certificate in Higher Education, London South Bank University (2009-2010)
• MA (distinction) in Health and Community Development, de Montfort University (1998-2000)
• BA (hons), University of Sheffield (1991-1994)

Her research centers on health literacy—particularly critical health literacy at community level—as a mechanism for addressing social determinants of health and reducing inequalities. She investigates community-focused public health interventions, evaluation methodologies, and workforce development, with recent projects examining eHealth literacy in infertility contexts and pandemic response. As Vice Chair of the Global Working Group for Health Literacy, she contributes to international efforts addressing health literacy challenges.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals dominant themes in process evaluation of complex public health interventions, with significant focus on gambling harms reduction, violence prevention, and tobacco control. Her work consistently employs co-production methods involving lived experience, examines equity implications across diverse settings (custody suites, community outreach), and addresses structural barriers in public health implementation.

Professor Sykes leads PHET@LSBU for public health workforce training and serves as Chief Investigator for PHIRST South Bank. Her international collaborations include the Global Health Literacy and Covid-19 consortium, and she has supervised postgraduate research as indicated by institutional records.

She directs LSBU's Health and Wellbeing Research Centre and co-leads PHIRST South Bank, which partners with local authorities on evaluations including advocacy against unhealthy product advertising and violence reduction initiatives in Lambeth. Her team integrates academic researchers with public health practitioners to ensure findings drive policy change at local and national levels.