缅北禁地

Vic McGowan is a Medical Anthropologist whose research interests focus on the political economy of health inequalities examining the structural processes that drive differences in health outcomes across places. She views health inequalities as an example of structural violence impacting the most vulnerable people in society and is a matter of social justice. She is an interdisciplinary social scientist with expertise across applied public health, anthropology, and health geography. Methodologically she is a highly experienced qualitative researcher with particular expertise in advanced qualitative skills in longitudinal methods, co-produced data collection and analysis, participatory research, and ethnography. She is also experienced in using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) techniques to examine how multiple complex factors can influence health outcomes. 

Vic developed the which aims to increase public involvement and engagement with health inequalities research. Members of this network have supported various health inequalities projects from inception to interpretation of findings and dissemination at a local, regional, and national level. She is also on the Editorial Board for and  and is an associate member of

She recently completed ethnographic research examining health inequalities across four coastal towns in England as part of a Wellcome Trust funded project (Principle Investigator Professor Clare Bambra).

Research:

• Co-I: COVID-19 mortality and deprivation: pandemic, syndemic and endemic health inequalities. Supported by NIHR SPHR.
• Co-I: 'Lockdown Life NE': Exploring young people's experiences of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative diary-based study using digital and mobile technologies £15,470. Funder: NE Youth/缅北禁地 Research Fund/Tilly Hale Fund 2020-2021.
• Co-I: Marginalisation and health-related stigma: a qualitative systematic review and meta-ethnography. Supported by: NIHR SPHR 2020-2022.
• Co-I: COVID-19 Health Inequalities Impact Assessment for the North East. In partnership with PHE, VONNE, NIHR NENC ARC. Supported by NIHR SPHR.
• Co-I: Strengthening the equity focus of public health research in and beyond SPHR £132,179. Funder: NIHR SPHR 2019-2022
• Co-I: Examining the effectiveness of place-based approaches to improving public health and reducing inequalities during austerity £451,811. Funder: NIHR SPHR 2019-2022
• Co-I: Equal England: The SPHR Health Inequalities Knowledge Exchange Network £472,951. Funder: NIHR SPHR 2019-2022.
• Co-I: The long-term health and wellbeing impacts of Healthy New Towns (HNT): a six-month baseline and feasibility study of HNT demonstrator sites in England £40,169. Funder: NIHR PHR 2018-19.
• PI: Evaluating the impact of the Healthy New Towns Programme in Darlington £38,739. Funder: Darlington Healthy New Towns 2018-19.
• PI: Designing an evaluation approach for Darlington Healthy New Towns £10,000. Funder: Darlington Healthy New Towns 2017.
• ESRC Case PhD Studentship: Policy in Perspective: Assessing the impact of school meal legislation on children malnourishment £93,160.

PhD Supervision:

• Dominika Dmitzrak (start date: 2024) The effects of internal migration on regional inequalities and spatial stratification in England.
• Tim Price (start date: 2021) "The industry died... the towns went right down": Structural Violence and Deaths of Despair in North East England.

MPhil Supervision:

• Alison Jane: A year in the life of Universal Credit claimants and support staff: insights into experiences, health and wellbeing before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (passed 2023)

PhD Examination:

• Lucie Nield (2024): Addressing the weight management needs of underserved populations: a systems perspective (Sheffield Hallam University, external examiner).

• Articles

  • McGowan VJ. . Social Science & Medicine 2025, 388, 118707.
  • McHugh N, Baker R, Watson V, Craig N, Bomark D, Bambra C, McGowan VJ, Lightbody R, Donaldson C. . Journal of Public Health Policy 2025, 46, 925–935.
  • Price TJ, McGowan VJ. . Social Science & Medicine 2025, 383, 118438.
  • Price T, McGowan V, Visram S, Wildman J, Bambra C. . Health and Place 2024, 90, 103346.
  • Bernard K, McGowan VJ, Bambra C. . Social Science and Medicine 2024, 355, 117089.
  • Scott S, McGowan VJ, Wildman J, Bidmead E, Mathews C, Hartley J, James B, Sullivan C, Bambra C, Sowden S. . BMC Health Services Research 2024, 24, 7.
  • Popay J, Halliday E, Mead R, Townsend A, Akhter N, Bambra C, Barr B, Anderson de Cuevas R, Daras K, Egan M, Gravenhorst K, Janke K, Kasim A, McGowan V, Ponsford R, Reynolds J, Whitehead M. . Public Health Research 2023, 11, 9.
  • Ronzi S, Gravenhorst K, Rinaldi C, Villarroel-Williams N, Ejegi-Memeh S, McGowan VJ, Holman D, Sallinen I, Egan M. . Public Health 2023, 222, 147-153.
  • Akhter N, McGowan VJ, Halliday E, Popay J, Kasim A, Bambra C. . Journal of Public Health 2023, 45(2), 423-431.
  • Ejegi-Memeh S, Salway S, McGowan V, Villarroel-Williams N, Ronzi S, Egan M, Gravenhorst K, Holman D, Rinaldi C. . Critical Public Health 2023, 33(4), 421-433.
  • Scott S, McGowan VJ, Bradley A, Visram S. . SSM - Qualitative Research in Health 2023, 3, 100239.
  • Davey F, McGowan V, Birch J, Kuhn I, Lahiri A, Gkiouleka A, Arora A, Sowden S, Bambra C, Ford J. . Public Health in Practice 2022, 4, 100322.
  • McGowan VJ, Bambra C. . The Lancet Public Health 2022, 7(11), E966-E975.
  • McGowan VJ, Ahkter N, Halliday E, Popay J, Kasim A, Bambra C. . Journal of Public Health 2022, 44(2), 378–386.
  • McGowan VJ, Lowther HJ, Meads C. . BMJ Open 2021, 11(7), e050092.
  • Bambra C, McGowan V. . Research Square 2021.
  • McGowan VJ, Buckner S, Mead R, McGill E, Ronzi S, Beyer F, Bambra C. . BMC Public Health 2021, 21, 1888.
  • Egan M, Abba K, Barnes A, Collins M, McGowan V, Ponsford R, Scott C, Halliday E, Whitehead M, Popay J. . Critical Public Health 2021, 31(3), 268-279.
  • Scott S, McGowan VJ, Visram S. . International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18(7), 3837.
  • Salway S, Holman D, Lee C, McGowan V, Ben-Shlomo Y, Saxena S, Nazroo J. . BMJ 2020, 368.
  • Watts PN, Rance S, McGowan V, Brown H, Bambra C, Findlay G, Harden A. . Pilot and Feasibility Studies 2020, 6, 4.
  • Hillier-Brown F, Thomson K, McGowan V, Cairns J, Eikemo T, Gil-González D, Bambra C. . Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 2019, 47(6), 655-665.
  • McGowan V, Wistow J, Lewis S, Popay J, Bambra C. . Journal of Public Health 2019, 41(4), 850-857.
  • Roberts KE, Ells LJ, McGowan VJ, Machaira T, Targett VC, Allen RE, Tedstone AE. . Nutrition and Diabetes 2017, 7, 302.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Scott S, McGowan VJ, Wildman JM, Bidmead E, Hartley J, Mathews C, James B, Sullivan C, Bambra C, Sowden S. . In: Public Health Science 2021. 2021, Online: The Lancet Publishing Group.
  • McGowan VJ, Ells LJ, Bentley GR. School meals in the UK: Dinner ladies and the resistance movement to junk food. In: Annual meeting of the Human Biology Association. 2010, Albuquerque: American Journal of Human Biology.
  • McGowan VJ. School meals policy in the UK: History, changes, and effects on overweight and obesity in children. In: REDAM - Medical Network of Anthropology. 2009, Tarragona, Spain.
  • McGowan VJ, Ells LJ, Bentley GR. Historical relationship of nutritional quality of UK school meals to overweight and obesity in children. In: Annual meeting of the Human Biology Association. 2009, Chicago: American Journal of Human Biology.

• Reports

  • Munford L, Mott L, Davies H, McGowan V, Bambra C. . All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG): APPG for ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods, 2022.
  • Ells LJ, Roberts K, McGowan VJ, Machaira T. . 2015.
  • Graham L, Lewis C, Defeyter G, Euwola Y, McGowan VJ, Finnegan C. . Manchester: Association for Public Service Excellence, 2014.

• Reviews

  • Khavandi S, Mccoll L, Leavey C, McGowan VJ, Bennett NC. . International Journal of Public Health 2024, 69, 1607459.
  • Ells LJ, Atkinson G, McGowan VJ, Hamilton S, Waller G, Harrison S. . JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports 2015, 13(10), 60-68.