Public Health Research and Me

By: Fuse the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health
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  • Summary

  • The Public Health Research and Me podcast is led by the public partners of Fuse - the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health - to bridge the gap between researchers and public audiences. Over the course of the podcast, we will cover a variety of public health topics including substance use, universal credit, smoking, maternal health, food insecurity, mental health, weight management. Fuse values public involvement and engagement as a vital part of our mission to get high quality research into the world to improve people's health. The public voice influences our work in all areas.
    Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health
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Hygiene & Healthy Living
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Episodes
  • Piecing it together: Understanding school exclusion through creativity

    Piecing it together: Understanding school exclusion through creativity
    Mar 20 2025

    In this episode of the Fuse ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, host and Fuse public partner, Cheryl Blake, speaks with Dr Sarah Martin-Denham (University of Sunderland) and Hayley Hudson (parent and advocate) about the impact of school exclusion, especially on children and young people themselves.


    Data shows that on average, 2,999 children were suspended or permanently excluded from school each school day in England in the 2021/22 academic year. But what does this number really mean? Sarah and Hayley recommend that creative methods can play a crucial role in helping us to visualise and better understand what this number represents for many families across England.


    They talk about working with a team of parents to crochet 2,999 unique squares to represent each excluded child and provide a voice to an under-served section of society, resulting in a giant, colourful blanket. The blanket is touring national organisations, local authorities, schools and community groups in England to encourage conversations about the extent and impact of school exclusion and what can be done to reduce preventable exclusions. Sarah and Hayley talk about their personal experiences, key findings from the research and suggest areas for improvement and change.


    Sarah and Hayley also answer the big question: "If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?" Listen now to find out.


    Sarah Martin Denham

    Sarah is an Associate Professor of Care and Education at the University of Sunderland and uses the creative arts to hear the experiences of children and families, particularly related to school exclusion.


    Hayley Hudson

    Hayley is a parent, research project partner and advocate for children and families.


    About our host

    Cheryl Blake is an expert by experience who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research and Me' podcast. Her interests and specialised subjects are around mental and sexual health, domestic abuse, coercive and violent behaviour, and family court and social workers within that system. She supports survivors of sexual/abuse to find female empowerment through art, poetry and meditation.


    Resources and further information

    ⁠Fuse⁠

    ⁠NIHR School for Public Health Research⁠

    Excluded children at the heart of giant patchwork blanket

    BBC news item – Blanket highlighting school exclusion unveiled


    Follow us on Bluesky: @fuseonline.bsky.social

    Follow us on X: @fuse_online

    Contact for more information, or a copy of the transcript prepared by Academic Audio Transcription: ⁠⁠⁠info@fuse.ac.uk⁠


    With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe; David Winter and Ben Smith (editing); Shaun O'Boyle (training); and Academic Audio Transcription for transcribing content. Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi.


    If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.
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    49 mins
  • What is ‘food insecurity’ and why is it such a concern, especially for people with severe mental health?

    What is ‘food insecurity’ and why is it such a concern, especially for people with severe mental health?
    Oct 10 2024
    **Content/trigger warning: mental health; food insecurity; death; suicide** In this episode of the Fuse ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, host and public partner Cheryl Blake speaks with academic Ashley Blacklock and peer researcher Claire Atkins about research to tackle food insecurity and improve access to quality food in the North East. They tell us about working with people living with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) to create a nutritious ready meal. They discuss the fantastic feedback they received from participants who said the group sessions had inspired them to cook more at home, make dietary changes, and try new food. The researchers explore how learning from the project and engaging with community could be used in the future as a way of helping people with SMI to improve nutritional intake, as well as increase skills and knowledge around food and cooking. Claire describes the shame that people sometimes feel when visiting a foodbank or getting food donations, and how toxic shame is in stopping people from asking for the help or support that they might need. Listen to the full episode now to find out more. About our guests Ashley Blacklock is passionate about public health and the impact of food on both body and mind. Ashley nurtured this passion into a career, leading her to become a clinical dietitian. During her academic journey, she had the opportunity to do a placement with a research team at Teesside University. Here, she worked on a project focused on school food contracts and strategies that could support schools create healthier contracts and impact positively on the school food environment. In 2023, Ashley became a Research Associate at Teesside University. She is currently involved in a project focused on improving the nutritional quality of diets of people living with Severe Mental Illness. Claire Atkins is the Peer Lead for Research and the Senior Peer Worker for Durham and Darlington. Claire has worked for Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust for almost 3 years. Since working for the Trust, she has followed her passion for all things Peer Support. Having her own lived experience of Mental Health gives her a very personal perspective of Mental Health Services and the impact that serious mental illness can have on an individual and their lives. Over the last year, Claire has worked closely with the research team for the Food Insecurity and SMI project, sparking a new passion for research and understanding of the impact of SMI in people’s daily lives. About our host ⁠Cheryl Blake⁠ is this episode's host. She is a public partner who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research and Me' podcast. Cheryl is an expert by experience who has also worked with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Northumbria University. Her interests and specialised subjects are around mental and sexual health, domestic abuse, coercive and violent behaviour, and family court and social workers within that system. She supports survivors of sexual/abuse to find female empowerment through art, poetry and meditation. Resources and further information o Jenny’s Pasta aims to tackle food insecurity⁠ o Research into food insecurity and severe mental illness⁠ o Supporting people with Severe Mental Illness who face food insecurity to access a nourishing meal⁠ o ⁠What came first, food insecurity or severe mental illness?⁠ o ⁠Food insecurity in adults living with Severe Mental Illness⁠ o ⁠Food insecurity in adults with severe mental illness: A systematic review with meta-analysis⁠ o Food insecurity in adults with severe mental illness living in Northern England: A co-produced cross-sectional study⁠ With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe; David Winter and Ben Smith (editing); Shaun O'Boyle (training); and Academic Audio Transcription for transcribing content. Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi. If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks. Follow us on X: @fuse_online Contact for more information, or a copy of the transcript prepared by Academic Audio Transcription: ⁠⁠info@fuse.ac.uk⁠
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    33 mins
  • Understanding the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ youth

    Understanding the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ youth
    Jun 13 2024

    To coincide with Pride Month in the UK, this episode of “Public Health Research and Me” sees host and public partner Kamil Sterniczuk interview Fuse researcher Liam Spencer about his work on the topic of mental health of LGBTQ+ young people.


    Liam describes his journey from youth worker to public health researcher as ‘a happy accident’ and discusses the challenges and findings of his work, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.


    He emphasises the need for inclusive school policies and staff training to support LGBTQ+ students, as well as the importance of capturing the voices of people with lived experience to refine academic knowledge.


    Liam answers the big question: “If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?” Listen to the full episode now to find out more.


    LGBTQ+ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning. The "+" sign recognises the limitless sexual orientations and gender identities used by members of the community.


    More about our guest

    Liam Spencer is a Fuse Associate and Research Assistant based at Newcastle University, and a Mental Health Research Fellow for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria (NENC). Liam's work focuses on building capacity for children and young people’s mental health research in the region, through collaboration with practice partners and academic colleagues. He is currently undertaking a PhD by published works. Striving to establish himself as a trailblazer in this field of research, Liam plans to lead school-based work in the region, with a focus on developing inclusive school environments for marginalised youth.


    About our host

    Kamil is a Fuse public partner and is this episode's host. Kamil is originally from Poland and moved to England for work. He is a part-time student of software engineering and a self-employed Polish interpreter. Since 2018, he has been a lay contributor to medical research due to his lived experience of chronic conditions.


    Resources and information

    Fuse website

    Liam's Fuse blog

    NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) public mental health programme

    NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria

    Paper: Reducing LGBTQ+ adolescent mental health inequalities: a realist review of school-based interventions

    Paper: Understanding How School-Based Interventions Can Tackle LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health Inequality: A Realist Approach


    With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe; David Winter and Ben Smith (editing); Shaun O'Boyle (training); and Academic Audio Transcription for transcribing content. Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi.


    If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.


    Follow us on X: @fuse_online

    Contact for more information: ⁠info@fuse.ac.uk ⁠

    For a copy of the transcript prepared by Academic Audio Transcription: ⁠⁠info@fuse.ac.uk⁠⁠
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    16 mins

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