Emilie Mcswiggan

ACRC PhD Student | Teaching Fellow - Master of Public Health (Online)

  • Usher Institute
  • College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine

Contact details

Address

Street

Teaching Organisation
Usher Institute, Usher Building
The University of Edinburgh
5-7 Little France Road
Edinburgh BioQuarter ‒ Gate 3

City
Edinburgh
Post code
EH16 4UX

Availability

  • I work seven hours per week as a Teaching Fellow for the MPH (online). This means limited time for checking and responding to emails, so please do send a follow-up if you have been waiting too long for a response.

Background

ACRC PhD Profile | Spotlight | PhD Research Website

I am a part-time Teaching Fellow for the MPH (online), where I co-lead the course on Leadership and Management in Public Health, and lead the third-year SLICC (applied project) course. I am also a full-time PhD student with the Advanced Care Research Centre; part of an interdisciplinary cohort of students researching ageing and care. My PhD explores the role of social prescribing for people in later life, with a particular interest in the community infrastructure needed to make social prescribing successful. (Find out more here)

I am an occasional tutor on other MPH (on-campus) and MBChB courses.

I was previously the Project Manager for UNCOVER Applied Evidence Synthesis at the University of Edinburgh (from 2020 to 2024), helping to provide rapid reviews for decision-makers on a range of topics, from the transmission of COVID-19 to its impact on refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland.  Prior to that, I was an elected representative in the Guernsey parliament (the States of Guernsey) from 2016 to 2020, and sat on policy-making committees responsible for health and social care, social welfare and international development. Before 2016 I worked in public and voluntary sector roles in Guernsey.

Responsibilities & affiliations

British Society of Gerontology (BSG) - Student Member

BSG Emerging Researchers in Ageing network - Member

Faculty of Public Health - Associate Member

Centre for Homelessness and Inclusion Health - affiliated PhD Student

Undergraduate teaching

I have contributed to tutoring on the first and second years of the MBChB programme - REBM (Research and Evidence-Based Medicine) and SEAM (Social and Ethical Aspects of Medicine) modules, including leading the second-year Health Policy unit for SEAM.

Postgraduate teaching

I am a part-time Teaching Fellow for the MPH (online). I co-lead the course on Leadership and Management in Public Health, and lead the third-year SLICC (applied project) course. I have contributed to other MPH online courses, including Migration & Health and Public Policy for Health, as well as the MPH on-campus Principles of Public Health course. I supervise policy brief and systematic review dissertations, and mentor SLICC projects.

Research summary

My PhD research focuses on social prescribing – that is, the use of non-medical interventions (such as arts programmes, exercise, or social groups) to help address the complex socioeconomic causes of poor health; often, but not always, within a primary care context. I am particularly interested in the way community infrastructure (such as voluntary sector groups and public facilities) and community participation contribute to health and wellbeing. I am also interested in the ethical dimensions of ageing well, and how interventions such as social prescribing can contribute to a meaningful quality of life in later life.

I have a broader interest in health inequalities (especially in the context of disability and of migration); health in small island contexts; and health and peace. These inform my approaches to research and to public health teaching.

I am interested in health policy and health systems; and in doing research and teaching which recognises and responds to real-world challenges and recognises the complex circumstances in which policy is so often negotiated and made.