Amy Barnes
Senior Research Fellow
Profile
Biography
Amy has over 15 years of experience of community-engaged scholarship focused on building skills and capacities to evidence and take collective action to address determinants of health and inequality. She is passionate about promoting learning about how to redress issues of inclusion and marginalisation in policy decision-making, and how community and collective power and action can be harnessed to create healthier places, a healthier economy and living conditions.
To be a community-engaged scholar means working in partnership with many different people, groups and community organisations, and a commitment to generating and sharing knowledge, with reciprocity and trust.
Amy’s work has included: participatory research and evaluations with government and voluntary sector groups (e.g. Timebuilders, Big Local partnerships, School Streets Parents Group, BeCancerSAFE), using innovative methods (e.g. journey and ripple effect mapping, Most Significant Change), co-designing approaches to engage residents in policy debate (e.g. grime artist and lyric development with young people, digital ‘live scribing’ of discussions, co-produced audio-visuals (e.g. https://youtu.be/czGodccTP10) for policy), and producing ‘real-time’ knowledge to improve implementation.
Amy is currently working with Bradford Council Health Determinants Research Collaboration, establishing a Policy Translation Hub with The York Policy Engine (TYPE), and is part of the Secretariat for the newly launched West Yorkshire Scientific Advisory Group to the Combined Authority and Integrated Care System, focusing on creating an inclusive economy, addressing climate change and health inequality.
Amy is also part of Health Equity North and has worked with MPs on the All-Party Parliamentary Group Child of the North, leading a report on child poverty and the cost of living crisis to inform political dialogue (e.g. leading to specially scheduled Westminster debate).
Internationally, Amy has worked with diverse international teams (Pakistan, Zambia, Ghana, Kenya) on policy topics relating to inequality, health systems, food, trade, and aid.
Amy is currently a Trustee of Healthwatch North Yorkshire, which champions public voice within health and social care, and of Manor and Castle Development Trust Sheffield, a community development charity supporting residents, delivering social prescribing and regeneration.
Qualifications
- BSc (Hons)
- MA (Econ)
- PhD
- FHEA
Research
Overview
Amy has interdisciplinary public health experience, with particular expertise in the following areas:
- community power and collective action to address determinants of health, create a healthier economy and address inequality
- issues of inclusion and marginalisation in policy decision-making
- participatory research and evaluation
- policy-engaged research
- systems evaluation
Projects
- ActEarly – Healthy Livelihoods theme (working to stop children growing up in poverty)
- NIHR YH ARC – Early Life and Prevention theme
- Better Start Innovation Hub
