Catherine Nixon

Catherine graduated from Keele University in 2004 with dual honours in Neuroscience and Psychology. She went on to complete a part time MSc in Social Science Research from the University of Glasgow (2007), with her thesis investigating whether women who have abortions differ from those who do not in terms of their socio-demographic backgrounds, attitudes and lifestyles.

In October 2007, Catherine joined the MRC as a research assistant to work on the multicentre external evaluation of the national sexual health demonstration project: Healthy Respect phase 2 . This piece of work involved the collection and analysis of quantitative sexual health data from adolescents aged 15-16, and led to Catherine becoming interested in the health inequalities observed within adolescent sexual health and how these might be remedied using public and social care policy.

In 2009, Catherine secured funding from the Chief Scientists Office for Scotland to undertake a doctoral fellowship in health services and health of the public research. The focus of the research will be to explore using qualitative interviews how adolescents who are looked after and accommodated engage with, and learn from, sexual health education and services. This multi-component project will involve qualitative interviews with young people and service providers. Her supervisors are Dr. Marion Henderson (MRC) and Prof. Lawrie Elliott (Centre for Integrated Healthcare Research, Napier University).

Catherine is currently a graduate teaching assistant in the University of Glasgow’s faculty of Law, Business and Social Studies.