麻豆传媒

Area of expertise

Sarah's career mission is to improve the effectiveness of action taken to address health and care inequalities. 

Sarah leads applied health and care inequalities research at 麻豆传媒 including the and programmes. Sarah’s research aims to enable the NHS, local government and wider system partners to better promote health equity and reduce inequalities in health and care access, experience and outcome. Employed across settings to strengthen links between research, policy and practice, Sarah also works as a Public Health Consultant within the in the North East of England; the area with the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, poor health and early death in England. Sarah is Deputy Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) delivered by 麻豆传媒 and partners. The centre aims to support the development of research culture, infrastructure, capacity and capability to enable practitioners and researchers to carry out high quality public health research within local government and the communities they serve. Sarah co-leads the public health pillar at , and leads research programmes for the NIHR and . Sarah balances this with working part-time to undertake caring responsibilities. 

Sarah has secured prestigious fellowships to develop her intersectional career; a MRC/ESRC interdisciplinary doctoral training fellowship (2005-2008) and a five year (2019-2024).

Sarah studied Human Sciences at Oxford University and undertook postgraduate studies in Public Health at LSHTM followed by a  at UCL.  Sarah has previously worked in Public Health Intelligence (South East Public Health Observatory), Health Protection (Health Protection Agency) and then within local government and across a wide range of NHS settings as a Public Health Registrar (2008-2011) and Academic Clinical Lecturer (2011-2019) whilst undertaking Specialty training in the North East region.

Qualifications

• 2025 Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring, Institute of Leadership and Management
• 2019  Fellow, Faculty of Public Health, UKPHR Specialty membership: FR0974
• 2018 PgCert Advanced Studies in Academic Practice, 麻豆传媒
• 2018  Fellow, Higher Education Academy
• 2014  Associate Fellow, Higher Education Academy
• 2011  Membership, Faculty of Public Health
• 2009  Diplomate Membership, Faculty of Public Health
• 2009  PhD Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London
• 2005 MSc (Distinction) Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• 2002 MA(Oxf) (1st Class) Human Sciences, Wadham College, Oxford University

Memberships

• Faculty of Public Health
• UK Public Health Register
• Higher Education Academy
• Society for Social Medicine and Population Health
• NIHR Applied Research Collaboration - North East North Cumbria:  theme
• NIHR SPHR :  research programme
• Population Health Sciences Institute: researcher within the Public Health and Health Inequalities theme

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-9359-3463

Google scholar: 

SCOPUS: 

Applied public health research focusing on understanding and evaluating the health inequalities impact of public health and healthcare systems, policies and interventions.



Ongoing

Co-I: (2023-2028) £21,871,667 Funding: NIHR

PI: (2025-2026) £119,699 Funder:

Co-I: Co-developing a Care Pathway Between Community Pharmacies and General Practices in the Deep End to Prevent Long Term Illnesses (2025-2027) £249,998

Co-I: Embedding methods to explore Community Research Link Working in the Deep End (2025) £20,000

Co-I: Workforce development in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas (2024-2029) £3,671,554

Co-I: NENC Health and Care Professional Internship programme (2025-2028) £130,579

Co-I: ASCEnD trial - Addressing healthcare and research inequalities: co-designing and evaluating novel recruitment strategies for mental health research (2022-2026) £2,070,986 Funder:

Recently completed

PI:  (2019-2024) £345,192 Funder: 

PI:  (2022-2024) £151,248 Funder:

PI: Developing 'Deep End Dental' (2023-2024) £26,633 Funder:

PI: (2022-2024) £193,739 Funder:

Co-I: The Effect of Deprivation on post-stroke outcomes in the North East and North Cumbria £14,363 (2022-2023) Funder:

Co-I: Building and Evidencing Community Asset Partnerships in Housing and Health to address Health Disparities in the North East and North Cumbria (2022-2023) £183,000 Funder:

Co-I: Dementia Risk Prediction in Areas of Social Deprivation (2023-2024) £197,031 Funder:

Co-I: The role of Community Pharmacists in the Prevention of Chronic Disease in Areas of Social Deprivation £26,080 (2024)

PI: MINDED+ £29,103 (2024-2025) Funder:

PI:  (2021-2022) £43,029 Funder: North of England Commissioning Support (NHS)

Co-PI:  (2021-2022) £24,579 Funder: NIHR ARC NENC

Co-I:  (2021-2022) £282,062 Funder:  

Co-PI:  (2020-2021) Funder: NIHR ARC NENC

Co-I:  (2020-2021) £24,579 Funder: NIHR ARC NENC

Co-I:  (2021) £35,000 Funder: Public Health England

Co-I: Embedding public health and prevention in secondary care (2020) £78,084 Funder: North of England Commissioning Support (NHS)

PI: Upper Gastrointestinal cancer diagnostic care pathway: patient experience and co-design (2017-2018) £37,779 Funder: NHS England

Previously Sarah has been engaged in a broad portfolio of applied public health research:

• Evaluating the equity of access, uptake and use of public health interventions by age, socioeconomic circumstance, ethnicity.
• Reducing inequalities in cancer waiting times and improving services for patients with Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer: exploring patient experience and the opportunities for co-design
• Reviewing socioeconomic inequalities in patient, referral, diagnostic or treatment intervals for lung cancer patients.
• Evaluating the implementation and impact of introducing a network of Public Health Consultants in Secondary Care settings across NENC.
• Analysing content and purpose of Health and Wellbeing Strategies in England and exploring public health risks and implications of English health system reform.
• Evaluating impact of social housing improvements on the health and wellbeing of residents in high-rise flats.
• Understanding the impact of welfare reform on disadvantaged communities in the North East of England.
• Understanding obesogenic environment (extent and nature of food displayed at checkouts of non-food stores).

Sarah is a Fellow of Higher Education Academy and holds a PGcert in Advanced Studies in Academic Practice from 麻豆传媒.

Sarah acts as educational and clinical supervisor to a , academic supervisor to seven registrars, is an  clinical supervisor, supports the North East and Yorkshire preparation course for the Faculty of Public Health Diplomat Examination and has previously delivered training for Paediatric Registrars and other NHS-based support. Sarah provides career mentorship to an advanced public health practitioner () and ongoing advice, training and support to those working in public health practice, within OHID, UKSHA, local authorities and the NHS, seeking closer involvement with research. Sarah is a qualified coach (ILM level 5 qualification) and delivers coaching to those working in public health across the health system in the North East of England as part of the regional public health workforce development programme.

Sarah supports teaching across the Population Health Sciences Institute. Sarah leads the 麻豆传媒 Masters in Public Health Health Protection module and is a seminar leader on the Advanced Social Determinants of Health Module and Principles of Public Health Module. Sarah provides student supervision, for example:

• NIHR NENC ARC inequalities PhD student (exploring equity of access to vaccine programmes)
• NIHR NENC Patient Safety Collaborative PhD student ()
• MPH students (for example, exploring ways to improve health literacy in )
• Undergraduate student dissertations (for example, systematic review of interventions to reduce asthma hospitalisations and readmissions in socioeconomically marginalised groups, and the role of community pharmacy in delivering public health and preventative interventions in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage)

• Articles

  • Sowden S, Maldonado BN, Beyer F, Bell W, Lambert M, Thomson R, Cookson R, Bambra C. . BMJ Public Health 2025, 3(2), e002595.
  • McSweeney L, Lally J, Parbery-Clark C, Murrell K, Thomson RG, Sowden S. . BMC Health Services Research 2025, 25, 810.
  • Janes A, Riding H, Haining S, Burton M, Allan H, Sowden S. . BJGP Open 2025, Epub ahead of print.
  • Maldonado BN, Bell W, Olivera J, Beyer F, Lambert M, Thomson R, Cookson R, Bambra C, Sowden S. . BMJ Public Health 2025, 3, e002592.
  • Parbery-Clark C, Portice JS, Sowden S. . BJGP Open 2025, 9(1), BJGPO.2024.0160.
  • Gupta A, Sirisena M, Vance G, Armstrong M, Sowden S. . BJGP Open 2025, Epub ahead of print.
  • Morris R, SchmidtRenfree N, Joseph W, Reeves D, Morgan C, Stephan BCM, vanMarwijk H, Ford E, Sowden S, Brown L, Tang E. . British Journal of General Practice 2026, 76(763), e124-e131.
  • Sacre A, Todd A, Bambra C, Sowden S. . BJGP Open 2025, Epub ahead of print.
  • Sacre A, Sowden S, Bambra C, Bennett N, Todd A. . BMC Public Health 2025, 25(1), 2913.
  • Beeson M, Vernazza C, Sowden S. . British Dental Journal 2025, 239(3), 209-213.
  • Gkiouleka A, Wong G, Sowden S, Kuhn I, Moseley A, Manji S, Harmston R, Siersbaek R, Bambra C, Ford J. . Health and Social Care Delivery Research 2024, 12(7).
  • Fu Y, Sowdon S, Newton JL. . Journal of Primary Care & Community Health 2024, 15, 1-7.
  • Armstrong MJ, Wildman JM, Sowden S. . British Journal of General Practice Open 2024, 8(2), BJGPO.2023.0201.
  • Parbery-Clark C, McSweeney L, Lally J, Sowden S. . BMC Public Health 2024, 24(1), 2168.
  • van der Graaf P, Burrows A, Park H, Sowden S. . Health Information and Libraries Journal 2025, 42(2), 177-189.
  • Parbery-Clark C, Nicholls R, McSweeney L, Sowden S, Lally J. . Health Expectations 2024, 27(1), e13860.
  • Castro-Avila AC, Cookson R, Doran T, Shaw R, Brittain J, Sowden S. . Emergency Medicine Journal 2024, 41(7), 389-396.
  • Scott S, McGowan VJ, Wildman J, Bidmead E, Mathews C, Hartley J, James B, Sullivan C, Bambra C, Sowden S. . BMC Health Services Research 2024, 24, 7.
  • Sacre A, Bambra C, Wildman JM, Thomson K, Bennett N, Sowden S, Todd A. . PLoS ONE 2023, 18, e0294688.
  • Gkiouleka A, Wong G, Sowden S, Bambra C, Siersbaek R, Manji S, Moseley A, Harmston R, Khun I, Ford J. . Lancet Public Health 2023, 8(6), e463-e472.
  • Tanner LM, Wildman JM, Stoniute A, Still M, Bernard K, Green R, Eastaugh CH, Thomson KH, Sowden S. . British Journal of General Practice 2023, 73(729), e242-e248.
  • Bernard K, Wildman JM, Tanner LM, Stoniute A, Still M, Green R, Eastaugh C, Sowden S, Thomson KH. . International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5237.
  • Haste A, Sharp L, Thomson R, Sowden S. . Cancer Reports 2023, 6(3), e1748.
  • Moffat M, Nicholson S, Darke J, Brown M, Minto S, Sowden S, Rankin J. . International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1429.
  • Wildman JM, Sowden S, Norman C. . Critical Public Health 2023, 33(4), 434-446.
  • Fu Y, Tang EY, Sowden S, Newton JL, Whitty P. . BMJ Open 2022, 12(7), e058951.
  • Sacre A, Bambra C, Wildman JM, Thomson K, Sowden S, Todd A. . International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11172.
  • Davey F, McGowan V, Birch J, Kuhn I, Lahiri A, Gkiouleka A, Arora A, Sowden S, Bambra C, Ford J. . Public Health in Practice 2022, 4, 100322.
  • Olivera JN, Ford J, Sowden S, Bambra C. . Health and Social Care in the Community 2022, 30(6), e3977-e3984.
  • Tanner L, Sowden S, Still M, Thomson K, Bambra C, Wildman J. . International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18(24), 12978.
  • Ford J, Sowden S, Olivera J, Bambra C, Gimson A, Aldridge R, Brayne C. . Future Healthcare Journal 2021, 8(2), e204-e209.
  • Ford J, Knight J, Brittain J, Bentley C, Sowden S, Castro-Avila A, Doran T, Cookson R. . Journal of Health Services Research & Policy 2021, 27(1), 31-40.
  • Ford J, Gkiouleka A, Kuhn I, Sowden S, Head F, Siersbaek R, Bambra C, Harmston R, Manji S, Moseley A, Wong G. . BMJ Open 2021, 11, e052746.
  • Norman C, Wildman JM, Sowden S. . International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18(16), 8689.
  • Haste A, Lambert M, Sharp L, Thomson R, Sowden S. . Health Expectations 2020, 23(6), 1512-1522.
  • Sowden S, Nezafat Maldonado B, Wildman J, Cookson R, Thomson R, Lambert M, Beyer F, Bambra C. . BMJ Open 2020, 10, e035429.
  • Salway SM, Payne N, Rimmer M, Buckner S, Jordan H, Adams J, Walters K, Sowden SL, Forrest L, Sharp L, Hidajat M, White M, Ben-Shlomo Y. . International Journal for Equity in Health 2017, 16(1), 123.
  • Forrest LF, Adams J, Ben-Shlomo Y, Buckner S, Payne N, Rimmer M, Salway S, Sowden S, Walters K, White M. . Age and Ageing 2017, 46(3), 500-508.
  • Forrest LF, Sowden S, Rubin G, White M, Adams J. . Thorax 2016, 72(5), 430-436.
  • Lambert MF, Sowden S. . Journal of Public Health 2016, 38(4), e438-e445.
  • Moffatt S, Lawson S, Patterson R, Holding E, Dennison A, Sowden S, Brown J. . Journal of Public Health 2016, 38(2), 197-205.
  • Wright J, Kamp E, White M, Adams J, Sowden S. . Public Health Nutrition 2015, 18(15), 2786-2793.
  • Beenstock J, Sowden S, Hunter D, White M. . Journal of Public Health 2015, 37(3), 461-469.
  • Forrest LF, Sowden S, Rubin G, White M, Adams J. . Systematic Reviews 2014, 3(30), 1-5.
  • Sheringham J, Sowden S, Stafford M, Simms I, Raine R. . Sexual Health 2009, 6(1), 57-62.
  • Sowden SL, Raine R. . Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2008, 62, 835-841.
  • Sowden SL, Breeze E, Barber J, Raine R. . British Journal of General Practice 2008, 58(555), 698-701.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Jeffries J, Wearn A, Hassan S, Fryer K, Mitchell C, Sowden S. . In: 17th European Public Health Conference. 2024, Lisbon, Portugal: Oxford University Press.
  • Jeffries J, Wearn A, Hassan S, Chew-Graham C, Sowden S. . In: Society for Social Medicine & Population Health Annual Scientific Meeting. 2023, 麻豆传媒, UK: BMJ Publishing Group.
  • Scott S, McGowan VJ, Wildman JM, Bidmead E, Hartley J, Mathews C, James B, Sullivan C, Bambra C, Sowden S. . In: Public Health Science 2021. 2021, Online: The Lancet Publishing Group.
  • Sowden S, Haste A, Sharp L, Lambert M, Thomson R. . In: 2018 NCRI Cancer Conference of National Cancer Research Institute. 2018, Glasgow: Nature Publishing Group.
  • Sowden S, Haste A, Thomson R, Sharp L. . In: National Cancer Research Institute Conference. 2018, Glasgow, UK.
  • Forrest LF, Sowden S, Rubin G, White M, Adams J. . In: European Public Health Conference. 2014, Glasgow: Oxford University Press.
  • Moffatt S, Brown J, Sowden S, Patterson RA, Holding E, Dennison A, Lawson S. . In: European Public Health Conference. 2014, Glasgow, UK: European Journal of Public Health.
  • Sowden S, White M. . In: Public Health Science: A National Conference Dedicated to New Research in UK Public Health. 2014, Glasgow, UK: The Lancet Publishing Group.
  • Sowden S, White M. . In: Public Health Science 2014. 2014, Glasgow, Scotland, UK: The Lancet Publishing Group.
  • Wright J, Kamp E, White M, Adams J, Sowden S. . In: European Public Health Association. 2014, Glasgow, UK: European Journal of Public Health.

• Reports

  • NIHR Research Support Service Specialist Centre for Public Health, Adamson A, Sowden S, Howes K, Hayes L, Renwick L, Brown L. . 麻豆传媒 upon Tyne: 麻豆传媒, 2025.
  • Sowden SL. . London, UK: University College London, 2009.