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James White

Professor James White

(he/him)

Deputy Director of Population Health and Social Care Trials

School of Medicine

Users
Available for postgraduate supervision

Overview

Overview

I am a Professor and Deputy Director of Population Health Trials in the Centre for Trials Research and DECIPHer (Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement) in Cardiff University, and have an honorary contract at the University of Bristol. The focus of my research is to understand how social, psychological, biological, behavioural and genetic factors from across the life course, influence behaviours which effect health and chronic diseases of major public health importance: cardiovascular disease and mental illness. The ultimate aim of this body of research is disease prevention.

In the last five years I have secured over £23M in competitive grant funding.

Current projects

Selected past projects

Publication

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

Articles

Book sections

Conferences

Monographs

Research

Current research interests

  • Epidemiology of risk behaviours
  • Aetiology and prevention of drug use
  • Design and evaluation of school-based public health prevention interventions
  • The rigorous evaluation of complex interventions, in particular the use of natural experiments and cluster randomised trials
  • Mental health as a risk factor for somatic disease
  • Neighbourhood effects on mental health
  • Sexual health promotion
  • Homelessness
  • Development of cardiovascular risk factors in childhood and adolescence
  • Socioeconomic differentials in health
  • Systematic review and meta-analysis

Teaching

Undergraduate

  • BSc Intercalated Population Medicine
  • BSc Intercalated Exam Board Member
  • MB BCh (Medical undergraduate) curriculum: Evidence based Medicine
  • Academic mentor and personal tutor (MB BCh students)

Postgraduate

  • I am Post-Graduate Research Lead within the Centre for Trials Research.
  • Master’s in Public Health (MPH): Assessor on Epidemiology and Statistical Methodology modules;
  • Master’s in Public Health (MPH): Dissertation supervision

External courses

  • DECIPHer short course - Evaluating Complex Public Health Interventions.
  • Canadian Institute for Collaborative Learning Institute in Evaluation.
  • Welsh Government training for Assembly Ministers on natural experiments.

Biography

Education and qualifications

  • Higher Education Academy Fellow, Postgraduate Certificate of Teaching and Learning, Cardiff University
  • Leadership and Management Development Programme for Research Team Leaders, Cardiff University.
  • PhD in "Development of Negative Body Image and Disordered Eating during Adolescence"
  • MSc in Social Science Research Methods
  • BSc in Psychology (Hons)

Current internal management

  • Centre for Trials Research (CTR) Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity lead for Race
  • Member of CTR Executive Management Committee
  • CTR lead for postgraduate research
  • College of Biomedical and Lifesciences College of Experts
  • Member of School of Medicine Research Degrees Committee
  • DECIPHer strategic board member
  • Unit of Assessment 3 REF coordinating group member

Honours and awards

Awards

  • Outstanding Contribution Award. Cardiff University.
  • The Seymour Fisher Outstanding Body Image Dissertation Award

External Activities

  • Scientific advisor for Evidence to Impact
  • External examiner: National University of Ireland (NUI):  Dr H H Stewart Medical Scholarship and Prize in Public Health

Professional memberships

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • Member of the Cochrane Collaboration
  • Member of the United Kingdom Society for Behavioural Medicine
  • Member of the International Society for Behavioural Medicine

Academic positions

2022-date Professor / Deputy Director of Population Health Trials, Centre for Trials Research (CTR), Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement, Cardiff University.

2019-2022 Reader/ Deputy Director of Population Health Trials, Centre for Trials Research (CTR), Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement, Cardiff University.

2016-2019  Senior Lecturer in Public Health/ Deputy Director of Population Health Trials, Centre for Trials Research (CTR), Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health ImpRovement, Cardiff University.

2014-2016  Lecturer in Public Health, Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health ImpRovement, South East Wales Trials Unit, School of Medicine, Cardiff University.

2010-2014 Research Fellow, Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health ImpRovement, School of Medicine, Cardiff University.

2008-2010 Research Associate in Social Epidemiology, Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Cardiff University.

Committees and reviewing

Board memberships

  • National Institute of Health Research Public Health Research. Systematic Review Team Board.
  • UKs Department of Levelling Up and Communities. Academic advisory board for their Test & Learn and System Evaluation.
  • Health and Care Research Wales. Health Research Grants Funding Board.
  • Health and Care Research Wales. PhD Health Studentship Committee.
  • GENIUS Network five-priming assessment panel. UK Prevention Research Partnership.

Reviewer

  • Academy of Medical Sciences
  • NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme
  • NIHR Public Health Research Programme
  • MRC Joint Global Health Trials scheme
  • MRC Population Health Scientist Fellowship scheme
  • MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship
  • MRC Skills Development Fellowship scheme
  • ESRC standard grants scheme
  • Cancer Research UK: Tobacco Advisory Group; Population Research Committee;
  • Wellcome Trust: Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship

Study steering committe member

  • Child poverty pathfinders evaluation. Scottish Government.
  • PReventing Gambling Related Harm in Adolescents (PROGRAM-A). Medical Research Council Public Health Intervention Development Scheme.
  • Developing and feasibility testing an intervention to improve the management of BZD dependence and high risk use which is associated with the escalating drug related deaths in Scotland. Chief Scientists Office, Scottish Government.
  • SAFE 2: Optimisation, feasibility testing and a pilot randomised trial of SaFE: a sexual health and healthy relationships intervention for Further Education. National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research.

Previous steering committe memberships

  • Invited member of the Cross Party Group on Eating Disorders (Welsh Assembly Government Group); Public Health Wales Nutrition and Obesity Expert advisory group.
  • Steering Committee for NIHR fellowship of Dr Georgina MacArthur.

Journal reviewer

  • British Medical Journal
  • International Journal of Epidemiology
  • Lancet Public Health
  • JAMA Pediatrics
  • British Journal of Psychiatry

 

Supervisions

PhD students

I currently have one PhD student:

  • Sophie Borgia, "The perspectives, experiences and perceived impacts of social policies in relation to the inclusion or marginalisation of gender minority students: a mixed methods case study in Wales" (ESRC DTC)

Past projects

Previous PhD students:

Michael Day, "Preconception Health Improvement: Intervention development to target multiple modifiable risk factors for adverse perinatal outcomes", Medical Research Council (MRC) GW4 BioMed DTP. (Awarded 2023).

Kaiseree Dias, “Increasing physical activity in pre-school aged children: systematic review, individual participant meta-analysis and intervention pilot.” Medical Research Council (MRC) GW4 BioMed DTP (Awarded 2022). 

Rhiannon Yapp, “Peer moderating and mediating effects upon parent-child relationships, school connectedness and adolescent substance use”. Medical Research Council funded (Awarded 2019).

Luke Midgely, "Developing and implementing substance misuse prevention policies in schools: A mixed methods socio ecological case study in Wales". ESRC Doctoral Training Centre funding (Awarded 2019).

Harriet Quinn Scoggins, "Development and feasibility testing of a school-based programme to prevent childhood burns". Health Foundation funded (Awarded 2018).

 

Engagement

I am the Centre for Trials Research EDI lead for Race