Cheti Nicoletti, Professor in Economics and Deputy Head for Research, Department of Economics and Related Studies
Cheti has a PhD in Applied Statistics from the University of Florence and a BSc in Statistics and Economics from the University of Padova.
Her research is characterised by the application of solid econometric methods to answer policy relevant questions in the areas of education, social networks, mental health, child development, mental parental investments and social identity.
email: cheti.nicoletti@york.ac.uk
Our 60-second interview with Cheti:
What do you do in the field of mental health?
I work on the effects of school and home environment on children's mental health. I am also interested in the effect of mental health services supply shortages on outcomes such as crime, employment and hospitalisation for drug use.
What do you find most rewarding and inspiring in this work?
There are large inequalities by socio-economic status and area in mental wellbeing awareness and in the access to mental health services for children and young people. This has raised my interest to carry out research to better understand the determinants of mental health in children and what we can do to reduce inequalities.
What is the most challenging or complicated aspect of this work?
Health data access is the most challenging aspect of this type of research, eg the linkage of administrative data on general practitioners, hospitals and schools has not been done yet in England, but it is something that, together with other colleagues, I am investing in.
What impact do you hope your work is having- or can potentially have?
My research has revealed that there can be biases in the assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, in children in schools and that these biases can lead to a lower rate of diagnosis for children of low socioeconomic status. I recently gave a presentation to policy makers from departments for education in England and Scotland and I hope this has made them more aware of such biases.
Could you share with us one piece of advice that you follow for your own mental health?
Take breaks even when you are too busy, speak with people, take small steps and be aware that being optimistic can be contagious.