Assistant Director (Public Health Science)
NHS Hull
Format
 Who am I?
 What is my job?
 What was my PhD about?
 How is it relevant to my working life?
 How is it not relevant to my working life?!
 Conclusion
Who am I?
 Private Sector - Philips Electronics – Advanced
Products Marketing
 Economics BSc Bradford
 Health Economics MSc York
 PhD Bradford 2006
My job
 Assistant Director of Public Health Science – NHS Hull
 Health Economist
 Lead team of Health Scientists (epidemiologists,
statisticians, health impact specialists)
 Outputs
 JSNA - Gives direction for health planning
 PNA – Gives direction for pharmaceutical provision
 Equity Audits – Shows focus for provision to combat health
inequalities
 Social Capital Research - some in partnership with Hull
University and Sheffield Hallam University
My PhD
 Part Time - 5 years
 Social Capital (social networks, levels of trust and
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connections within communities that ultimately help to
improve social, physical and economic conditions as well
as the life chances of those where it exists.)
Influence on demand for health care - Funding and
Private Medical Insurance relevant
Association between social capital and health
Non market provision through social support reduces
demand on PMI and NHS
Cross-Sectional Time Series Panel Data Analysis using
Stata
6 years of BHPS
My PhD Findings
 There is a relationship between Social Capital and the
amount of health care demanded
 May be positive or negative (or multi-dimensional)
 Personal risk attitudes very important
 Risk attitudes dependent on social and cultural
backgrounds
 People in different occupations or lifestyles face higher
risks so demand more ‘reservation value’
Relevance to working life
 PhD a salutary process!
 Sense of achievement
 Mark of professional ability ‘licence to teach’
 Higher statistical training and credibility
(publications)
 Gives me extra edge on large dataset analysis and the
integrity of analysis and conclusions
 Broadened in terms of statistical knowledge and
subject area
Relevance
 Keeps academic life alive
 Gives opportunity to transfer learning to policy
(Health and LA)
 Links to ongoing theme of Social Capital within
government now termed ‘Big Society’
 Ironically better Social Capital might mean greater
equality
Conclusion
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My experience not your experience
PhD essential for academic life
Extremely useful in non-academic working life
Opens doors
More opportunities for involvement in collaborative
projects
 Enabled Fellowship of Faculty of Public Health enables
employment as Consultant in Public Health
 Credibility
 Still fascinated by my subject!
Call yourself a Doctor?
 Yes
 You’ve done the studying
 You’ve earned it!