Professor John Holmes

PhD, MA, BA (Hons) (York)

Population Health, School of Medicine and Population Health

Professor of Alcohol Policy

Director of the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group; Lead Director of the Wellcome Doctoral Training Centre in Public Health Economics and Decision Science

John Holmes
Profile picture of John Holmes
john.holmes@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 6384

Full contact details

Professor John Holmes
Population Health, School of Medicine and Population Health
G033b
Regent Court (ScHARR)
30 Regent Street
Sheffield
S1 4DA
Profile

I am a Professor of Alcohol Policy and Director of the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group (SARG). SARG is a multidisciplinary team of around 25 researchers and doctoral students who do public health, health economic and health psychology research on alcohol and tobacco use, as well as other addictive behaviours. As Director, I lead a wide range of research projects, and particularly focus on epidemiological and policy research related to alcohol and public health.

I am also the Lead Director of the Wellcome Doctoral Training Centre in Public Health Economics and Decisions Science (PHEDS). The PHEDS programme awards seven fully-funded PhD studentships each year to students who conduct high-quality analyses of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of complex multi-component public health interventions and policies to reduce non-communicable and chronic disease.

My background is in social policy and applied social science. I completed by Bachelors, Masters and PhD at the University of York. My doctoral thesis explored inequalities, risks and opportunities associated with young people's use of the internet in the mid-2000s, with a particular focus on online communication. During and after my PhD, I also undertook research on the determinants of child poverty and development. I joined ScHARR in 2010 as a Research Fellow within SARG and I took over as Director of the group in 2020.

Qualifications

BA (hons) in Applied Social Science, University of York
MA in Social Policy, University of York
PhD in Social Policy, University of York

Research interests

My research focuses on patterns, trends and inequalities in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm, as well as using evaluation methods and mathematical modelling to analyse and appraise alcohol policies. I also contribute to qualitative research studies in related areas.

My recent studies focus on the sharp decline in youth drink across high-income countries, event-level analysis of drinking practices and contexts, and the evaluation of major alcohol policies including minimum unit pricing in Scotland and the UK low risk drinking guidelines. Much of my past work focuses on the development of the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model and its use to inform alcohol policy debate in the UK and internationally, particularly around alcohol taxation and minimum unit pricing. I am also interested in analyses of the clustering of health-related behaviours within individuals, analyses of alcohol-related health risks, critical perspective on alcohol and public health, and processes of alcohol policy-making.

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Journal articles

All publications

Edited books

  • Gell L, Buehringer G, McLeod J, Forberger S, Holmes J, Lingford-Hughes A & Meier P (Eds.) (2016) What Determines Harm from Addictive Substances and Behaviours?. Oxford: Oxford University Press. RIS download Bibtex download

Journal articles

Chapters

  • Kiernan K, McLanahan S, Holmes J & Wright M (2020) Unmarried families in the UK and the US, Handbook on Demographic Change and the Lifecourse (pp. 122-140). Edward Elgar Publishing RIS download Bibtex download
  • Gell L, Holmes J, Bühringer G, Allamani A, Bjerge B, Forberger S, Frank V, Lingford-Hughes A, McLeod J, Meier P , Neumann M et al (2016) Methods, What Determines Harm from Addictive Substances and Behaviours? (pp. 19-34). Oxford University Press RIS download Bibtex download
  • Gell L, Holmes J, Forberger S & Bühringer G (2016) Introduction, What Determines Harm from Addictive Substances and Behaviours? (pp. 1-18). Oxford University Press RIS download Bibtex download
  • Gell L, Bühringer G, Room R, Allamani A, Eiroa-Orosa FJ, Forberger S, Holmes J, Lingford-Hughes A, McLeod J, Meier P & Stead M (2016) Discussion and integration of key findings, What Determines Harm from Addictive Substances and Behaviours? (pp. 157-186). Oxford University Press RIS download Bibtex download
  • McLeod J, Gell L, Holmes J, Allamani A, Baumberg B, Bjerge B, Bühringer G, Eiroa-Orosa FJ, Forberger S, Frank V , Lingford-Hughes A et al (2016) Determinants of transitions from harmful to low-risk substance use and gambling, What Determines Harm from Addictive Substances and Behaviours? (pp. 113-156). Oxford University Press RIS download Bibtex download
  • Gell L, McLeod J, Holmes J, Allamani A, Baumberg B, Bjerge B, Bühringer G, Eiroa-Orosa FJ, Forberger S, Frank V , Lingford-Hughes A et al (2016) Determinants of harmful substance use and harmful gambling, What Determines Harm from Addictive Substances and Behaviours? (pp. 77-112). Oxford University Press RIS download Bibtex download
  • McLeod J, Gell L, Holmes J, Allamani A, Bjerge B, Bühringer G, Forberger S, Frank V, Lingford-Hughes A, Meier P , Neumann M et al (2016) Determinants of risky substance use and risky gambling, What Determines Harm from Addictive Substances and Behaviours? (pp. 35-76). Oxford University Press RIS download Bibtex download
  • Bühringer G, Forberger S, Gell L, Holmes J, Lingford-Hughes A, McLeod J & Meier P (2016) Implications for research, policy, and practice, What Determines Harm from Addictive Substances and Behaviours? (pp. 187-196). Oxford University Press RIS download Bibtex download
  • Bradshaw J & Holmes J (2010) Child poverty in the first five years of life, Children of the 21st century (Volume 2)The first five years (pp. 12-28). Policy Press RIS download Bibtex download
  • Bradshaw J & Holmes J (2010) Child poverty in the first five years of life In Hansen K, Joshi H & Dex S (Ed.), Children of the 21st Century: First Five Years v. 2 (pp. 13-32). Bristol: Policy Press. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Bradshaw J & Holmes J (2010) Child Poverty and Social Exclusion in South Africa In Roberts B, Kivilu MW & Davids YD (Ed.), South African Social Attitudes: 2nd Report: Reflections on the Age of Hope HSRC Press RIS download Bibtex download
  • Campbell Burton CA, Knapp P, Holmes J, Murray J, Gillespie D, Lightbody CE & Watkins CL () Interventions for treating anxiety after stroke John Wiley & Sons, Ltd RIS download Bibtex download
  • Siddiqi N, Holt R, Britton AM & Holmes J () Interventions for preventing delirium in hospitalised patients John Wiley & Sons, Ltd RIS download Bibtex download
  • Siddiqi N, Stockdale R, Holmes J & Britton AM () Interventions for preventing delirium in hospitalised patients John Wiley & Sons, Ltd RIS download Bibtex download

Conference proceedings papers

Reports

  • Stevely A, Sasso A, Alava MH & Holmes J (2021) Changes in alcohol consumption in Scotland during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: Descriptive analysis of repeat cross-sectional survey data RIS download Bibtex download
  • Oldham M, Holmes J, Whitaker V, Fairbrother H & Curtis P (2018) Youth Drinking in Decline View this article in WRRO RIS download Bibtex download
  • Pryce RE, Angus C, Holmes J, Meier P & Brennan A (2016) Model-based appraisal of the comparative impact of Minimum Unit Pricing and taxation policies in Scotland. An adaptation of the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model version 3, RIS download Bibtex download
  • Holmes J, Angus C, Buykx P, Ally A, Stone A, Meier P & Brennan A (2016) Mortality and morbidity risks from alcohol consumption in the UK: Analyses using the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model (v.2.7) to inform the UK Chief Medical Officers’ review of the UK lower risk drinking guidelines RIS download Bibtex download
  • Webster L, Angus C, Holmes J, Brennan A & Gillespie D () Alcohol attributable fractions for England RIS download Bibtex download

Scholarly editions

  • Kiernan K, McLanahan S, Holmes J & Wright M Fragile Families in the US and UK. RIS download Bibtex download

Posters

  • Sadler S, Angus C, Gell L, Gillespie D, Holmes J, Brennan A & Meier P Comparing socioeconomic gradients in alcohol-related harm between the four UK countries (PHE Applied Epidemiology Scientific Meeting 18-19 March 2015). RIS download Bibtex download

Preprints

Research group

Sheffield Alcohol Research Groups

Grants

Youth Drinking In Decline (Y-DID): A mixed methods investigation (Wellcome Investigator Award)

SPARC: Understanding stability and change in British drinking culture, 2001-2016 (ESRC Research Grant)

Evaluating the effect of Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland on harmful drinkers (commissioned by Public Health Scotland)

SYNTAX: Joint appraisal of tobacco and alcohol tax interventions in England (NIHR PHR Grant)

SIPHER: Systems-science informed public health economic research for non-communicable disease prevention (UKPRP Consortium Award)

Professional activities and memberships

Senior Editor and Strategy Advisory Group member for Addiction