Dr Michaela Senek

I am a Research Fellow and NIHR Advisor at the University of Sheffield's School of Health and Related Research, with an academic background spanning immunology, public health, epidemiology, maternal obesity, mesothelioma, and the health workforce. Early in my career, I worked in immunology research at the Jackson Laboratory in Maine, including work on T-cell receptor cloning. My interests subsequently shifted towards public health and health systems research, following a master's in Public Health and Epidemiology, during which I worked on collaborative projects with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, examining the impact of economic crises on infectious disease transmission across Europe. I was also part of the Mesothelioma Research Centre and have made significant contributions to mesothelioma research, highlighting gender disparities in patient pathways and time to diagnosis. My doctoral research, conducted at Sheffield Hallam University, was a feasibility randomised controlled trial using mHealth technology to deliver a lifestyle intervention for pregnant women with obesity. I have a multi-disciplinary experience across laboratory science, infectious disease epidemiology, health technology evaluation at NICE, and maternal obesity research.