Dr Annika Hjelmskog
- Research Associate (MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4982-9621Biography
I joined the University of Glasgow as a post-doctoral researcher in 2021 and work within the Systems Science Research programme at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit.
My work is focussed on the health and wellbeing of both people and the planet, and I am currently working on a collaborative City Portrait for Glasgow that applies Doughnut Economics at the city level. This transdisciplinary project is being undertaken with partners in multiple sectors, and will capture a multi-dimensional, pluralistic understanding of what 'thriving' means in the context of Glasgow.
I completed my PhD in Planning and Environmental Management at the University of Manchester in 2021, writing the thesis: 'Assessing the role of housing association activity in tackling health inequalities in Greater Manchester'. While at the University of Manchester I worked as a Teaching Assistant on several planning modules, and as a researcher at the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit.
Outside academia, I have held Public Health roles in population health and health inequalities, at both regional and national organisations.
Research interests
My research interests are often interdisciplinary and I am interested in outward looking, holistic research approaches that involve systems thinking. My core research interest is health inequalities and the social determinants of health, and I have a background in a variety of qualitative methods.
Working on inclusive and sustainable economies brings together my interests in specific social determinants, such as housing and income, with my concern for planetary health and climate justice. I am interested in the city as a complex adaptive system and how the interrelationships between environmental and social conditions influence our health and wellbeing outcomes.
A healthy population depends on a healthy planet, and my current work engages with frameworks such as Doughnut Economics and Wellbeing Economies to consider how our societies might make progress on those goals simultaneously, leading to better health for both our people and our planet.
