Michelle Black

BSc, MSc, MPH, MFPH, FRSPH, FHEA

School of Health and Related Research

Research Fellow in Public Health

Michelle Black
Profile picture of Michelle Black
michelle.black@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 0851

Full contact details

Michelle Black
School of Health and Related Research
Room 2037, 2nd Floor
Regent Court (ScHARR)
30 Regent Street
Sheffield
S1 4DA
Profile

I qualified in Pharmacy in 1997 and have worked as a pharmacist for 17 years. This was largely in primary care medicines management in the NHS but also in community and secondary care and some time in the private sector. During this time, I undertook a masters in prescribing management in primary care.

In 2015 I joined the Public Health Specialty Registrar Training Programme in Yorkshire and the Humber. As part of this programme I undertook a Masters in Public Health at the University of Sheffield, which I completed in 2016. I became a Member of the Faculty of Public Health in 2017.

In 2018-19, as a Public Health Registrar at ScHARR, I undertook research in international and domestic projects. I most recently project managed, and led analysis, of a research study into health risks in informal waste workers in Nepal and also worked on a project which explored public health policy and systems since political devolution in the UK, with a particular focus on child health policy.

Currently, I am a research fellow in public health, undertaking a National Institute for Health Research Doctoral Research Fellowship (NIHR DRF) from April 2020 to April 2023.

Following this fellowship I will complete my final year of Public Health Speciality Training.

Research interests

I am particularly interested in the mechanisms between early childhood development (‘school readiness’) and health. My research focuses on understanding how and when to intervene (on these mechanisms) in later child life course (primary school age) to improve health and reduce inequality in key outcomes of weight and mental health in early adolescence. My research involves a unique mix of epidemiological methods and knowledge mobilisation to produce actionable evidence to identify policy questions and inform policy to reduce child health inequality.

Current Projects

  • NIHR DRF: A study of the relationship between inequalities in early child development and subsequent health outcomes in early adolescence to inform policies and interventions to improve health and reduce health inequalities.

Recent Projects

  • Four Nations Study: Comparative systems review and thematic policy analysis of public health across the four constituent countries of the UK - all reports and infographics are available here
  • Towards enhanced waste workers health in the Kathmandu Valley - a video describing the work is available here
Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Journal articles

Conference proceedings papers

Reports

Posters

  • Black M, Barnes A, Creative NF, Baxter S, Jeffrey C, Dallat M, Beynon C, Furber A, Strong M, Davies A , Goyder E et al Early Years Policy in the UK - from the child’s perspective. RIS download Bibtex download

All publications

Journal articles

Conference proceedings papers

Reports

Posters

  • Black M, Barnes A, Creative NF, Baxter S, Jeffrey C, Dallat M, Beynon C, Furber A, Strong M, Davies A , Goyder E et al Early Years Policy in the UK - from the child’s perspective. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Barnes A, Black M, Baxter S, Furber A, Strong M, Beynon C, Dallat M, Jeffery C, Davies AR, Goyder E , Kritsotakis E et al Understanding public health systems: a participatory systematic review and systems infographic. RIS download Bibtex download

Presentations

Preprints

Grants

NIHR DRF (300689): A study of the relationship between inequalities in early child development and subsequent health outcomes in early adolescence to inform policies and interventions to improve health and reduce health inequalities. 

  • Role: PI
  • £390,174; April 2020-2023

Médecins du Monde funded research collaboration with PHASE Nepal "Towards enhanced waste worker's health and safe waste management in the Kathmandu Valley"

  • Role: Co-I (PI: Andrew Lee)
  • £10,000; September 2017 - 2019

Health Foundation (UK); Comparative systems review and thematic policy analysis of public health across the four constituent countries of the UK - completed

  • Role: Co-I (PI: Amy Barnes)
  • £79,986; 2017
Teaching interests

My teaching interests lie in epidemiology, health inequalities and policy and systems as applied to practical/service related public health.

I teach on the MPH (Health Needs Assessment, Management and Leadership and Knowledge Mobilisation) and I'm also a public health tutor on the undergraduate medical MBChB degree.

Teaching activities

My teaching interests lie in epidemiology, health inequalities and policy and systems as applied to practical/service related public health.

I teach on the MPH (Health Needs Assessment and Dissertation modules) and I'm also a public health tutor on the undergraduate medical MBChB degree.

Professional activities and memberships
  • Member of the Faculty of Public Health 
  • Pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC No: 2048604) 
  • Senior Associate Editor of the journal Public Health in Practice, a journal of the Royal Society of Public Health 
  • Honorary registrar at the UK Health Security Agency, part of the on-call rota for the Yorkshire and Humber Health Protection team.