Dr Vincent La Placa BA, MA, SFHEA, PhD

Vincent joined the university in 2010; his courses include “Introduction to Concepts and Theories of Health”; Theory and Policy in Public Health” and “Theory, Evidence and Practice in Public Health and Wellbeing Dissertation”. He previously worked as a Research Consultant for the Department of Health (DH), where he managed the qualitative strand of the "Healthy Foundations (HF) Life-stage Segmentation Model": one of the largest pieces of qualitative research funded by DH. He also played a key role in assisting the HF team to provide training to healthcare professionals and planners in using the tools developed from the model and in developing health interventions. He has also worked as a consultant at the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) on a systematic review of methods of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

His main areas of interest is in the impact of globalization on health and wellbeing, welfare states and public policy; social theories and epistemologies, (particularly late modernity and capitalism, risk, and critical public health; research methods (quantitative and qualitative); and health-related behaviour change. Vincent is currently Programme Leader for the BSc Public Health and BSc Public Health (Extended) programmes and welcomes discussions from students and potential applicants alike about the rich variety of public health roles and jobs which graduates can obtain as well as the potential employment benefits of specialising in research methods and systematic metanarratives.

Posts held previously:

• 2009-10, Research Consultant, Methodology and Policy, DH Social Marketing and Health-Related Behaviour Change and a Sessional Lecturer in Social Science Research Methodology, Birkbeck College, University of London.
  Consultancy and management of the ‘Healthy Foundations (HF) Life-Stage Segmentation Model’ Qualitative Phase (immersion interviews and focus groups, preparing and writing policy interventions chapter of the qualitative report); management and development of the HF Synthetic Estimates Model (quantitative); management and development of HF Online Reporting Tool (data and methods); development of training toolkit for use in workshops to train healthcare professionals to use HF research and tools; facilitation of training/teaching workshops.
• 2008-10, Senior Research and Communications Manager
  Independent Research Consultant providing strategic development, communication, and research across Government Departments, including
  HM Revenues and Customs and Ministry of Justice (MOJ).