Hilary Graham has a background in sociology and social policy. Prior to coming to the Department of Health Sciences at York, she held positions at the University of Warwick and Lancaster University.
She has a track-record of research concerned with social inequalities in health, with a particular focus on health-related behaviours. Her current research is exploring the implications of climate change for people's health and everyday lives.
Hilary Graham is part of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change, funded by the Wellcome Trust and led by UCL (2018-23). She coordinates the Countdown group tracking public and political engagement in health and climate change. She is an author for the series of reports published as part of the Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change: Policy Responses to Protect Public Health. Follow these links for the 2019 Lancet Countdown report and the podcast about the 2019 report. The 2018 report and podcast can be found here: 2018 Lancet Countdown report and the podcast about the 2018 report.
Hilary is an Associate Director of the new ESRC Centre for Climate and Social Transformations (CAST) led by the University of Cardiff.
Hilary Graham has led a range of research programmes, including the ESRC Health Variations Programme (1996-2001), which investigated the links between social and health inequalities, and the Department of Health Public Health Research Consortium (2005-11). She has continued to be a collaborator in the Public Health Research Consortium (2011-19) and is a Co-Investigator in the new NIHR Public Health Policy Research Unit (2019-2024, led by LSHTM).
Her books include Unequal Lives: Health and Socioeconomic Inequalities (Open University Press, 2007) and Understanding Health Inequalities (Open University Press, 2010).
Hilary was a member of the Social Policy and Social Work Panel for the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, as well as a number of previous Research Assessment Exercises, and has served as Vice-Chair of the ESRC Research Committee. Hilary received a CBE for services to social science in the Queen's Birthday Honours List 2014 and was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2016.
Hilary's current research interests focus on the social and health implications of climate change, including implications for future generations (children's future lives and the lives of those yet to be born). She also continues her research interests in public health and social inequalities, and, in particular, health behaviour and behaviour change.