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Dr Kelly Buckley
(she/her)
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Kelly Buckley
Research Fellow
Overview
I am a social scientist specialising in the social determinants of women’s health, with particular expertise in the physical and mental health consequences of domestic and sexual violence, public health interventions, and gendered health inequalities.
My interdisciplinary research portfolio focuses on applied research to improve health outcomes for women through timely, accurate diagnosis and trauma-informed care. I have methodological expertise in intervention research, including the development and evaluation of complex interventions to improve women's health using a variety of methods, such as experimental designs, outcome evaluations, and realist-informed process evaluation methodologies. I am also passionate about using creative and participatory approaches to involving those with lived experience in health research.
I have over £1m in research funding and extensive collaboration with health services, government and third sector organisations, and my research has made a significant contribution to knowledge and impact in relation to public health and gendered harms, publishing in high impact, prestigious journals such as The Lancet Public Health, Journal of Public Health, Journal of Gender-Based Violence and Violence Against Women.
Publication
2025
- Pell, B., Melendez-Torres, G. J., Buckley, K., Evans, R. and Robinson, A. 2025. A realist evaluation of a “whole health” response to domestic violence and abuse in the UK. Violence Against Women 31(11), pp. 2912-2936. (10.1177/10778012241265364)
- Melendez-Torres, G., Pell, B., Evans, R., Buckley, K., Coles, N., Retter, E. and Robinson, A. 2025. Impacts from delivering a whole health response strategy to domestic violence and abuse: an evaluation from the UK. Journal of Gender-Based Violence 9(3), pp. 478-489. (10.1332/23986808Y2024D000000056)
2023
- Irfan, M., Buckley, K., Cheung, S. Y., Lewis, J., Koj, A. and Thomas, H. 2023. Mapping social capital across Wales (UK) using secondary data and spatial analysis. SN Social Sciences 3, article number: 56. (10.1007/s43545-023-00639-1)
2022
- Lohan, M. et al. 2022. Effects of gender-transformative relationships and sexuality education to reduce adolescent pregnancy (The JACK trial): a cluster randomised trial. The Lancet Public Health 7(7), pp. E626-E637. (10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00117-7)
- Moore, G., Buckley, K., Howarth, E., Burn, A., Copeland, L., Evans, R. and Ware, L. 2022. Police referrals for domestic abuse before and during the first COVID-19 lockdown: An analysis of routine data from one specialist service in South Wales. Journal of Public Health 44(2), pp. e252-e259. (10.1093/pubmed/fdab343)
2020
- Aventin, ?. et al. 2020. Engaging parents in digital sexual and reproductive health education: evidence from the JACK trial. Reproductive Health 17, article number: 132. (10.1186/s12978-020-00975-y)
2014
- Clapham, D., Mackie, P., Orford, S., Thomas, I. and Buckley, K. 2014. The housing pathways of young people in the UK. Environment and Planning A 46(8), pp. 2016-2031. (10.1068/a46273)
2010
- Buckley, K. 2010. 'Keeping it real': young working class femininities and celebrity culture. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Articles
- Pell, B., Melendez-Torres, G. J., Buckley, K., Evans, R. and Robinson, A. 2025. A realist evaluation of a “whole health” response to domestic violence and abuse in the UK. Violence Against Women 31(11), pp. 2912-2936. (10.1177/10778012241265364)
- Melendez-Torres, G., Pell, B., Evans, R., Buckley, K., Coles, N., Retter, E. and Robinson, A. 2025. Impacts from delivering a whole health response strategy to domestic violence and abuse: an evaluation from the UK. Journal of Gender-Based Violence 9(3), pp. 478-489. (10.1332/23986808Y2024D000000056)
- Irfan, M., Buckley, K., Cheung, S. Y., Lewis, J., Koj, A. and Thomas, H. 2023. Mapping social capital across Wales (UK) using secondary data and spatial analysis. SN Social Sciences 3, article number: 56. (10.1007/s43545-023-00639-1)
- Lohan, M. et al. 2022. Effects of gender-transformative relationships and sexuality education to reduce adolescent pregnancy (The JACK trial): a cluster randomised trial. The Lancet Public Health 7(7), pp. E626-E637. (10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00117-7)
- Moore, G., Buckley, K., Howarth, E., Burn, A., Copeland, L., Evans, R. and Ware, L. 2022. Police referrals for domestic abuse before and during the first COVID-19 lockdown: An analysis of routine data from one specialist service in South Wales. Journal of Public Health 44(2), pp. e252-e259. (10.1093/pubmed/fdab343)
- Aventin, ?. et al. 2020. Engaging parents in digital sexual and reproductive health education: evidence from the JACK trial. Reproductive Health 17, article number: 132. (10.1186/s12978-020-00975-y)
- Clapham, D., Mackie, P., Orford, S., Thomas, I. and Buckley, K. 2014. The housing pathways of young people in the UK. Environment and Planning A 46(8), pp. 2016-2031. (10.1068/a46273)
Thesis
- Buckley, K. 2010. 'Keeping it real': young working class femininities and celebrity culture. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Research
I am interested in advancing research on women's health, specifically in relation to early onset and lifelong conditions that disproportionately affect women or have specific considerations for care. I am also interested in Violence Against Women, Domestic and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) as a public health issue, and developing and evaluating interventions to improve the whole health response for survivors and improve long term health outcomes through trauma-informed care. Projects relating to this included 'A Cry For Health' and 'Health Pathfinder Evaluation', which both examined what worked to develop an effective whole health response for survivors of VAWDASV.
Research grants/awards
- 2025-present – Theory of Change for the VAWDASV National Strategy and Blueprint (Co-Principal Investigator). Welsh Government, £30k.
- 2020-2022 – Family Recovery after Domestic Abuse (FReDA) (Co-Investigator). NIHR PHR, £635k
- 2020-2021 – Primary Expansion of the School Health Research Network Feasibility Study (PSHRN) (Co-Investigator). Welsh Government, £232k
- 2018-2020 – Health Pathfinder Evaluation (Co-Investigator), Safelives, £195K
Biography
2023-2025 Swansea University - Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology
2021-2023 Cardiff University, YLab - Senior Research Fellow
2018-2021 Cardiff University, DECIPHer - Research Associate
2017-2018 Cardiff University, CASCADE - Research Associate
2013-2016 Bath Spa University - Senior Lecturer Sociology of Gender
2011-2013 Safelives - Senior Research Lead
Committees and reviewing
- 2025-Present: Peer reviewer for charity Foundations (What Works Centre for Children and Families) (funding applications)
- 2025-Present: Peer reviewer for Journal of Gender-Based Violence (publications)
- 2024: Invited peer review for a particular article in Sex Education
- 2023-2025: Swansea University FHSS Research Ethics Committee reviewer
- 2021-Present: Peer reviewer for the NIHR (funding applications and publications)
- 2021-2023: Cardiff University School of Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee reviewer
- 2019/20: Welsh Government VAWDASV Objectives Advisory Group
- 2020: Task and Finish Group member, Welsh Government Guidance for schools Peer Abuse and Exploitation
Supervisions
- Women's health
- Intervention studies
- Implementation science
- Evaluation research
- Health consequences of Violence Against Women, Domestic and Sexual Violence