SSM ECRs featuring…

SSM ECRs featuring… Emma Adams!

Emma Adams is a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Doctoral Fellow. She is based in the Population Health Sciences Institute at the University of Newcastle.

Emma Adams University of Newcastle Research Fellow SSM member since: 2020 SSM participation: 2021 ASM, Co-Chair for ASM 2023 Topics of interest: Homelessness, mental health, and co-production

What inspired you to pursue a career in public health?
Although my career has varied, my interest in public health has been one of the few constants. Having worked in a mental health hospital in Ontario (Canada), the one thing that always left me confused is how the bulk of the healthcare system is designed around people experiencing poor health rather than keeping people healthy. We normally only go to see our GP or go to the hospital when something goes wrong or we aren’t feeling good.

I always loved how public health seemed to flip things into how can we support people so they have positive health and wellbeing, both physically and mentally, from the start. When I had to explain to my parents why I was moving countries to go and do a fellowship within the NIHR School for Public Health Research, I said to them, a hospital can help a finite number of people, but public health has the potential to help entire communities. With that in mind, it seemed like a no-brainer to take the leap into returning to a research role.

What excites you about working in research now?
The thing that excites me most is the increase in working with people with lived experience in how we design, conduct, understand, and share our research. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the most amazing people with lived experience, who’ve challenged me to think about how I conduct research and share our findings. It’s meant that I have often had to admit I don’t know the best way to do things, but I can honestly say it has led to better research than I could have ever done on my own.

What area of social medicine/public health are you interested in?
My work tends to explore mental health (including substance use) and homelessness, and more recently with a focus on trauma. I am interested in understanding how we can better support people experiencing homelessness with their mental health and substance use needs so they can transition out of homelessness or have a more positive experience.

Can you tell us a bit about a project you’re working on now?
I am currently involved in a number of studies, but the most personal one to me is my co-produced qualitative systematic review where I am working with four people with lived experience of homelessness to explore the impact of trauma during homelessness on mental health (including substance use). This study is funded through a career development award made possible by the Three NIHR Schools Mental Health Programme. We just finished our stage 1 screening and working on that with people with lived experience has made me realise how inaccessible abstracts can be. It’s made me re-think all my current papers and given me a bit of a reality check on the language in abstracts and titles. We should be starting stage 2 over the coming weeks and I’m just hoping the other early career researchers and people with lived experience will not be too bogged down by the experience.

What do you hope this will lead to?
There are so many quantitative studies looking at the prevalence of trauma in populations experiencing homelessness and we are hoping to understand what evidence is out there that is qualitative to further understand individuals’ experiences. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but we think quotes and stories about the impact of trauma from people who experience homelessness can paint endless pictures. Hopefully our review will shed light on some of the gaps in our evidence and current understanding. On February 1st 2023, I started an NIHR Doctoral Fellowship where I will be looking to qualitatively explore the impact of trauma during homelessness and its impact on mental health with people experiencing homelessness and those providing support across the North East of England—so hopefully the review will shape my fellowship.

Bonus question from SSM Subcommittee: Congrats on the new role! Best fellowship application tips?
Make sure you have a supportive team, colleagues, and friends around you. Writing my fellowship application, receiving and addressing feedback, submitting the application, waiting in suspense to find out if you’ve made it to interview, prepping for the interview, and getting to the final post interview suspense all took a toll. I wouldn’t have made it to where I am without the people who gave me a hug, a shoulder, or a pep talk when I needed it.

To keep up to date with Emma’s work, you can follow her on Twitter @AdamsEmmaAudrey, or get in touch via email.

SSM ECR features is a blog series that celebrates early career researchers. Each month we meet a member we admire, learn more about their work and find out what and who inspires them. To find out more visit socsocmed.org.uk/blog or email ecr.ssm@gmail.com.