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Dr Ruth McGovern has been awarded a new NIHR Population Health Career Scientist Award.

She will use the Award to deliver an ambitious programme of work to develop a poverty-informed integrated approach to preventing mental health problems within disadvantaged children and families.

Dr Ruth McGovern, Supporting Children and Families Deputy Theme Lead for the NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria, has secured one of the first national NIHR Population Health Career Scientist Awards.

The Award aims to support and enable local government to become more research-active, to help answer the most important research questions facing policymakers and services at local and national levels.

Dr McGovern will use the Award to deliver an ambitious programme of work to develop a poverty-informed integrated approach to preventing mental health problems within disadvantaged children and families.

Dr McGovern is an NIHR Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and Lecturer in Public Health Research at Newcastle University, and is a key member of the ARC North East and North Cumbria. As well as her role as a deputy theme lead, she is also a lead and co-investigator on several ARC-related projects and programmes of work. She also supports a wide range of cross-cutting activity relating to prevention, supporting children and families, and social care.

She has a professional background in social work and counselling and has worked in a range of therapeutic and social care settings.

She said: “‘I am delighted to receive a NIHR Population Health Career Scientist Award. This fellowship gives me the opportunity to work closely with local authorities to support the development and implementation of family hubs. During my Population Health Career Scientist Award, I will deliver an ambitious programme of work resulting in a poverty-informed integrated approach to preventing mental health problems within disadvantaged children and families.

“By co-producing this approach with practice colleagues and children and families with lived experience, my programme offers the best opportunity to provide a real-world solution to a highly complex problem.”

The award is funded by the NIHR Public Health Research (PHR) Programme and is being delivered jointly by the PHR Programme and the NIHR Academy.

If you would like to find out more about Dr Ruth McGovern’s work to develop a poverty-informed integrated approach to preventing mental health problems within disadvantaged children and families, please email [email protected]