Dr Kelly Morgan

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Current grants

2025-2030. Moore, G. Evans, R., Hawkins, J., Young, H, Morgan K (co-I) et al. DECIPHer Centre Sustainability Funding. Health and Care Research Wales. £2,800,00.

2024-2029 John A, Pozo Banos, M, Murphy S, Inchley J, … … Morgan K (co-I) et al. Datamind Renewal: Mental Health Research in the UK. MRC, £6,999,700

2024-2026 Murphy S, Morgan K (co-I), Page N, Boffey M, Angel L and Young H. The School Health Research Network (SHRN) Student Health and Wellbeing Survey. 01/03/24 to 31/03/26, Welsh Government, £1,476,000.

2023-2026 Anthony B, Morgan K (co-I), Evans R. Feeling loved and appreciated”: a mixed methods study to explore relationships and the association with mental health and wellbeing for young people who have experienced care. Health and Care Research Wales, £428,504

2020-2025 Campbell R, Jago R, Murphy S, Kidger J, de Vocht F, Hawkins J, Morgan K (co-I) and Gray C. Public Health Intervention Responsive Studies Team (PHIRST) National Institute for Health, Public Health Research Programme, £2,500,000

Past grants:

2020-2024 Moore G, Hawkins J, Morgan K (co-I), Murphy S, Roberts, J et al. Expansion of the School Health Research Network into primary schools. Welsh Government £1,500,000

2023 - 2023 Hawkins, J (PI), Morgan, K (co-I) and Long, S. Healthy Working Wales Survey Tools Benchmarking Project. Public Health Wales. £29,749.

2021-2022 Morgan K (PI), Hawkins J, Moore G, van Sluijs E, Hallingberg B, Roberts J, Charles J and Cannings-John R. CHoosing Active Role Models to INspire Girls (CHARMING): cluster randomised feasibility study of a school-based, community-linked programme to increase physical activity levels in 9-11-year-old girls, Health & Care Research Wales, Health Grant Award, £249,830

2020-2021 Pulsford R, Foster C, Rouse P, Morgan K (co-I), Salmon V, Rodgers L and Williams O. Moving through Motherhood. GW4 Building Communities Programme, Generator Fund, £14,948.85

2016-2019 Morgan K (PI) (Mentor Moore G) Health & Care Research Wales Post-doctoral Fellowship. £279,000

2017-2017 Morgan K (PI), Moore G (co-PI), Hawkins J, Littlecott H, Long S and McConnon L. An evaluability assessment of the Food & Fitness School Holiday Enrichment Programme in Wales. WLGA. £49,718

2016-2017 Fletcher A, Morgan, K (co-I) and Hawkins, J. A formative evaluation of a School-Holiday Enrichment Programme. WLGA. £50,000

2015-2016 Morgan K (PI), Fildes A and Darwent K. The CHARMING study: Choosing Active Role Models to INspire Girls. Cancer Research UK - Innovation Grant Application. £20,000

2010-2014 Morgan K (Supervisors Professor Sinead Brophy and Dr Rebecca Hill) Centre for Health Information and Evaluation Research (CHIRAL) PhD studentship. £42,000

Research Interests

With an overarching focus on public health research, my research interests fall into three broad themes:

The development and evaluation of complex public health interventions:

• Principle investigator on the development of a school-based physical activity intervention (CHARMING study)
• Principle investigator on the long-term evaluation of a National policy (National Exercise Referral Scheme in Wales)
• Involved in the evaluation of two school-based interventions (School Holiday Enrichment Programme (Co-App) and The Activity Knowledge Circuit (Research Assistant))

Utilising expertise of quantitative techniques and routine data linkage:

• Lead author on high-impact papers using a well-established health-informatics platform
• Lead researcher examining environmental influences on health and wellbeing with a particular focus on obesity prevention
• Experienced in using routine data to evaluate healthcare provision and existing primary care interventions, at both the community and population level

Improving child health and wellbeing:

• Involved in the establishment of a prenatally recruited birth cohort study: Growing Up in Wales
• Produced robust evidence for school, regional and national stakeholders (School Health Research Network)
• Appreciation of the complexities involved in the measurement of physical activity (during pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adulthood)

Teaching

My contributions to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching span a range of areas as follows:

Cardiff University (School of Medicine)

• 2020 - Present Health Improvement module of the Masters in Public Health (Lecturer)
• 2017 - 2020 Health Improvement module of the Masters in Public Health (Module lead and lecturer)

University of Bristol (School for Policy Studies)

• 2019 - 2020 Physical activity and Nutritional Interventions (Guest lecturer)
• 2018 - 2019 Practical Research Methods, MSc Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health (Module lead)
• 2018 - 2019 Guided Independent Study

Cardiff Metropolitan University (School of Sport)

• 2008 - 2010 Applied Sports Principles and Techniques (Levels 1-3)
• 2008 - 2010 Games Applications  (Levels 1-3)

DECIPHer Methodology Short Course Programme

• 2019 - present Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions

Biography

Education and qualifications:

• 2014 PhD Public Health, School of Medicine, Swansea University
• 2010 MSc (with distinction): Physical Activity and Health, University of Wales Institute Cardiff
• 2008 BSc (First class Hons): Sport and Physical Education, University of Wales Institute Cardiff

Career overview:

• 2021 - present  Senior Research Fellow, DECIPHer, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University
• 2016 - 2021      Research Fellow, DECIPHer, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University
• 2019 - 2019      Lecturer, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol (Part time)
• 2016-2016        Research Fellow, Y Lab (Secondment), Cardiff University
• 2015-2016        Research Associate, DECIPHer, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University
• 2010-2015        Research Assistant, School of Medicine, Swansea University
• 2008 -2010       Hourly Paid lecturer. University of Wales Institute Cardiff

Honours and awards

• Womenspire Finalist- Sport award, Chwarae Teg (2018) cteg.org.uk/womenspire-18/2018-finalists/
• Commonwealth Games Athlete (2014, 2018)

Professional memberships

• Sedentary lead for developing the Active Healthy Kids Wales 2018/2020 Report Cards

• International Society for Physical Activity and Health

Committees and reviewing

• Editorial Board, International Journal for Environmental Research and Public Health
• Journal reviewer

Supervisions

I have supervised one PhD student to completion alongside a number of undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations in the Schools of Medicine and Social Sciences. I have also provided postgraduate supervision to students at the University of Bristol and Cardiff Metropolitan University.

I am currently supervising four PhD students:

• Anna Pennington: A feasibility and acceptability study of the Equality Health-CVD intervention for patients with vascular conditions. Kelly Morgan, Jonathan Hewitt
• Rachel Rees: Advanced Clinical Practitioners in Wales: Job satisfaction and the four pillars of practice Simon Murphy, Kelly Morgan
• Cailtin Jackson: Impacts on child dietary behaviours and health: Exploring school policy responses to the rise in cost of living. Supervisors: Kelly Morgan, Nicholas Page
• Nick Morris Evaluating the impact of the novel Welsh Government ‘Active Travel Town’ on inequalities in travel modes and physical activity and to inform policy development - GW4 BioMed MRC DTP Supervisors: Ruth Kipping, Russ Jago, Ruth Salway, Kelly Morgan 

I am interested in supervising research projects in areas including:

• intervention development/evaluation methods;
• routine data linkage studies;
• school-based studies;
• obesity prevention methods;
• child and adolescent health;
• pregnancy and the early years.

Current supervision

Caitlin Jackson

Anna Pennington

Rachel Rees