Dr Sarah Lester
- Research Assistant (Public Health)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4651-9345Biography
I joined the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit Systems Science team in November 2024. Originally, I set out to capture learning across two different projects taking systems approaches to tackling health inequalities - the SIPHER Consortium and the GALLANT programme.
I now focus primarily on GALLANT (Glasgow as a Living Lab Accelerating Novel Transformation), a project which uses Doughnut Economics, alongside other alternative economic paradigms, to work towards a Climate Resilient Glasgow through City-University Partnership. I'm a member of the workstream one team (systems transformation), which draws from a range of participatory and systems science approaches to help the city move towards climate resilience whilst tackling health, social and economic inequalities.
Before moving to Glasgow I worked at the EPPI-Centre at University College London (UCL), where I produced evidence syntheses for a range of policy and practice partners including the Department of Health and Social Care. I also worked on systematic reviews for the purposes of informing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on a range of mental health and social care topics.
My doctoral work, funded by NIHR ARC North Thames, used qualitative complexity-informed methods to explore how local authorities in England responded to initiatives to build up collaborative research infrastructure to address health inequalities and the social determinants of health.
Research interests
I am interested in using a complex systems lens in order to understand the relationship between evidence and policy in public health and climate change-related topics.
Publications
Prior publications
Thesis
Sarah Lester (2025) Becoming research-active in the social determinants of health: a study of intelligent accountability in local government Sarah Lester.
Article
Rachael C. Edwards, Dylan Kneale, Claire Stansfield, Sarah Lester (2025) What does being “research active” mean in public health practice? Exploring behavioural and motivational dimensions of research activity in English local government through perceptions from embedded researchers Journal of Public Health Sarah Lester. ISSN 1613-2238 (doi: 10.1007/s10389-024-02369-x)
Rachael C. Edwards, Dylan Kneale, Claire Stansfield, Sarah Lester (2024) “They don't have the luxury of time”: interviews exploring the determinants of public health research activity that contextualise embedded researcher roles in local government Health Research Policy and Systems Sarah Lester. ISSN 1478-4505 (doi: 10.1186/s12961-024-01162-2)
Dylan Kneale, Claire Stansfield, Rebecca Goldman, Sarah Lester, Rachael C. Edwards, James Thomas (2024) The implementation of embedded researchers in policy, public services, and commercial settings: a systematic evidence and gap map Implementation Science Communications Sarah Lester. ISSN 2662-2211 (doi: 10.1186/s43058-024-00570-3)
Rachael C. Edwards, Dylan Kneale, Claire Stansfield, Sarah Lester (2024) What are the mechanisms driving the early stages of embedded researcher interventions? A qualitative process evaluation in English local government Social Science & Medicine Crossref. (doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116407)
Theo Lorenc, Sarah Lester, Katy Sutcliffe, Claire Stansfield, James Thomas (2020) Interventions to support people exposed to adverse childhood experiences: systematic review of systematic reviews BMC Public Health Sarah Lester. ISSN 1471-2458 (doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-08789-0)
Sarah Lester, Meena Khatwa, Katy Sutcliffe (2020) Service needs of young people affected by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs): a systematic review of UK qualitative evidence Children and youth services review Sarah Lester.
Report
Dylan Kneale, Rachael C Edwards, Claire Stansfield, Sarah Lester, Rebecca Goldman, James Thomas (2023) What are embedded researchers and what influence do they have in public health settings? EPPI Centre, University College London Sarah Lester.
Sarah Lester, Claire Khouja, Meena Khatwa, Gary Raine, Rebecca Rees, Irene Kwan, Kath Wright, Amanda Sowden, James Thomas (2022) Adult Specialist Services for Victim-Survivors of Sexual Violence and Abuse Evidence for Policy and Practice Information Centre (EPPI-Centre) Sarah Lester.
Sarah Lester, Theo Lorenc, Katy Sutcliffe, Meena Khatwa, Claire Stansfield, Amanda Sowden, James Thomas (2019) What helps to support people affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences? Evidence for Policy and Practice Information Centre (EPPI-Centre) Sarah Lester.
