Staff Profile

Area of expertise

Sarah's career mission is to improve the effectiveness of action taken to address health and care inequalities. 

Sarah leads applied health and care inequalities research at Newcastle University including the UNFAIR and Deep End programmes. Sarah’s research aims to enable the NHS, local government and wider system partners to better promote health equity and reduce inequalities in health and care access, experience and outcome. Employed across settings to strengthen links between research, policy and practice, Sarah also works as a Public Health Consultant within the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities in the North East of England; the area with the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, poor health and early death in England. Sarah is Deputy Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Support Service Specialist Centre for Public Health delivered by Newcastle University and partners. The centre aims to support the development of research culture, infrastructure, capacity and capability to enable practitioners and researchers to carry out high quality public health research within local government and the communities they serve. Sarah co-leads the public health pillar at Newcastle Health Research Partnership Academy, and leads research programmes for the NIHR NENC Applied Research Collaboration and Fuse. Sarah balances this with working part-time to undertake caring responsibilities. 

Sarah has secured prestigious fellowships to develop her intersectional career; a MRC/ESRC interdisciplinary doctoral training fellowship (2005-2008) and a five year HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic fellowship (2019-2024).

Sarah studied Human Sciences at Oxford University and undertook postgraduate studies in Public Health at LSHTM followed by a PhD at UCL.  Sarah has previously worked in Public Health Intelligence (South East Public Health Observatory), Health Protection (Health Protection Agency) and then within local government and across a wide range of NHS settings as a Public Health Registrar (2008-2011) and Academic Clinical Lecturer (2011-2019) whilst undertaking Specialty training in the North East region.

Qualifications

• 2019  Fellow, Faculty of Public Health, UKPHR Specialty membership: FR0974
• 2018 PgCert Advanced Studies in Academic Practice, Newcastle University
• 2018  Fellow, Higher Education Academy
• 2014  Associate Fellow, Higher Education Academy
• 2011  Membership, Faculty of Public Health
• 2009  Diplomate Membership, Faculty of Public Health
• 2009  PhD Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London
• 2005 MSc (Distinction) Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• 2002 MA(Oxf) (1st Class) Human Sciences, Wadham College, Oxford University

Memberships

• Faculty of Public Health
• UK Public Health Register
• Higher Education Academy
• NIHR Applied Research Collaboration - North East North Cumbria: Inequalities and Marginalised Communities theme
• NIHR SPHR Fuse: Health Inequalities research programme
• Population Health Sciences Institute: researcher within the Public Health and Health Inequalities theme

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-9359-3463

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Applied public health research focusing on understanding and evaluating the health inequalities impact of public health and healthcare systems, policies and interventions.



Ongoing

Co-I: The role of Community Pharmacists in the Prevention of Chronic Disease in Areas of Social Deprivation £26,080 (2024) NIHR SPHCR/SPHR/SSCR Prevention research programme

PI: MINDED+ £29,103 (2024-2025) Funder: NIHR NENC CRN

Co-I: Research Support Service Public Health Specialist Centre £21,871,667 (2023-2028) Funding: NIHR

PI: UNFAIR: UNderstanding Factors explaining Avoidable hospital admissions Inequalities - Research study (2019-2024) £345,192 Funder: HEE/NIHR ICA CL fellowship

PI: MINDED: embedding a clinical psychologist in primary care to improve mental health care for patients living in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged communities within the North East & North Cumbria (2022-2024) £151,248 Funder: NIHR SPCR/SPHR (MHPES)

PI: Developing 'Deep End Dental' (2023-2024) £26,633 Funder: NIHR NENC CRN

PI: Understanding and evaluating 'Deep End' primary care (2022-2024) £193,739 Funder: NENC NHS ICB

Co-I: Building and Evidencing Community Asset Partnerships in Housing and Health to address Health Disparities in the North East and North Cumbria (2022-2023) £183,000 Funder: UKRI AHRC, ESRC, NERC, MRC, NCCH

Co-I: Dementia Risk Prediction in Areas of Social Deprivation (2023-2024) £197,031 Funder: NIHR SPCR/SPHR/SSCR Dementia research programme

Co-I: ASCEnD trial - Addressing healthcare and research inequalities: co-designing and evaluating novel recruitment strategies for mental health research (2022-2026) £2,070,986 Funder: NIHR HTA

Co-I: The Effect of Deprivation on post-stroke outcomes in the North East and North Cumbria £14,363 (2022-2023) Funder: NIHR NENC CRN

Recently completed

PI: PRIME: Interventions to address inequalities in mental health in primary care, systematic review (2021-2022) £43,029 Funder: North of England Commissioning Support (NHS)

Co-PI: Process and impact evaluation of C-WorKS: mobilising knowledge across the health system on impacts and responses to COVID-19 (2021-2022) £24,579 Funder: NIHR ARC NENC

Co-I: EQUALISE: Interventions which increase or decrease inequalities in general practice (2021-2022) £282,062 Funder: NIHR HS&DR 

Co-PI: Co-designing a 'Deep-End' network of GPs in the North East and North Cumbria (2020-2021) Funder: NIHR ARC NENC

Co-I: Covid-19 Health Inequalities Impact Assessment for the North East (2020-2021) £24,579 Funder: NIHR ARC NENC

Co-I: Levelling up Health: A practical framework to support action on levelling up health and an evidence review of effective policy and practice (2021) £35,000 Funder: Public Health England

Co-I: Embedding public health and prevention in secondary care (2020) £78,084 Funder: North of England Commissioning Support (NHS)

PI: Upper Gastrointestinal cancer diagnostic care pathway: patient experience and co-design (2017-2018) £37,779 Funder: NHS England

Previously Sarah has been engaged in a broad portfolio of applied public health research:

• Evaluating the equity of access, uptake and use of public health interventions by age, socioeconomic circumstance, ethnicity.
• Reducing inequalities in cancer waiting times and improving services for patients with Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer: exploring patient experience and the opportunities for co-design
• Reviewing socioeconomic inequalities in patient, referral, diagnostic or treatment intervals for lung cancer patients.
• Evaluating the implementation and impact of introducing a network of Public Health Consultants in Secondary Care settings across NENC.
• Analysing content and purpose of Health and Wellbeing Strategies in England and exploring public health risks and implications of English health system reform.
• Evaluating impact of social housing improvements on the health and wellbeing of residents in high-rise flats.
• Understanding the impact of welfare reform on disadvantaged communities in the North East of England.
• Understanding obesogenic environment (extent and nature of food displayed at checkouts of non-food stores).

Sarah is a Fellow of Higher Education Academy and holds a PGcert in Advanced Studies in Academic Practice from Newcastle University.

Sarah acts as educational and clinical supervisor to a public health registrars, academic supervisor to seven registrars, is an NIHR SFP clinical supervisor, supports the North East and Yorkshire preparation course for the Faculty of Public Health Diplomat Examination and has previously delivered training for Paediatric Registrars and other NHS-based support. Sarah provides career mentorship to an advanced public health practitioner (NIHR DLAF scheme) and ongoing advice, training and support to those working in public health practice, within OHID, UKSHA, local authorities and the NHS, seeking closer involvement with research.

Sarah supports teaching across the Population Health Sciences Institute. Sarah leads the Newcastle University Masters in Public Health Health Protection module and is a seminar leader on the Advanced Social Determinants of Health Module. Sarah provides student supervision, for example:

• NIHR NENC ARC inequalities PhD student (exploring equity of access to vaccine programmes)
• NIHR NENC Patient Safety Collaborative PhD student (Deep End Primary Care)
• MPH students (for example, exploring ways to improve health literacy in Deep End Primary Care)
• Undergraduate student dissertations (for example, systematic review of interventions to reduce asthma hospitalisations and readmissions in socioeconomically marginalised groups)

• Articles

  • McSweeney L, Lally J, Parbery-Clark C, Murrell K, Thomson RG, Sowden S. Understanding the challenges, opportunities, and drivers to addressing health inequalities within local health systems: the UNFAIR case study qualitative project. BMC Health Services Research 2025, 25, 810.
  • Beeson M, Vernazza C, Sowden S. At the Deep End of dental inequality. British Dental Journal 2025. In Press.
  • Gkiouleka A, Wong G, Sowden S, Kuhn I, Moseley A, Manji S, Harmston R, Siersbaek R, Bambra C, Ford J. Reducing Health Inequalities through General Practice: A Realist Review and action framework. Health and Social Care Delivery Research 2024, 12(7).
  • Parbery-Clark C, Portice JS, Sowden S. Realities of opioid and gabapentinoid deprescribing in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities: qualitative evaluation. BJGP Open 2024, epub ahead of print.
  • Fu Y, Sowdon S, Newton JL. Lipid Management in Primary Care for Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Populations in Northern England: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health 2024, 15, 1-7.
  • Armstrong MJ, Wildman JM, Sowden S. How to address the inverse care law and increase GP recruitment in areas of socioeconomic deprivation: a qualitative study of GP trainees’ views and experiences in the UK. British Journal of General Practice Open 2024, 8(2), BJGPO.2023.0201.
  • Parbery-Clark C, McSweeney L, Lally J, Sowden S. How can health systems approach reducing health inequalities? An in-depth qualitative case study in the UK. BMC Public Health 2024, 24(1), 2168.
  • van der Graaf P, Burrows A, Park H, Sowden S. Developing an online knowledge sharing platform and community of practice for health professionals: Experiences from C-WorKS developed in North East England and Yorkshire during COVID-19. Health Information and Libraries Journal 2024, Epub ahead of print.
  • Parbery-Clark C, Nicholls R, McSweeney L, Sowden S, Lally J. Coproduction of a resource sharing public views of health inequalities: An example of inclusive public and patient involvement and engagement. Health Expectations 2024, 27(1), e13860.
  • Castro-Avila AC, Cookson R, Doran T, Shaw R, Brittain J, Sowden S. Are local public expenditure reductions associated with increases in inequality in emergency hospitalisation? Time-series analysis of English local authorities from 2010 to 2017. Emergency Medicine Journal 2024, 41(7), 389-396.
  • Scott S, McGowan VJ, Wildman J, Bidmead E, Mathews C, Hartley J, James B, Sullivan C, Bambra C, Sowden S. "I’ll meet you at our bench": adaptation, innovation and resilience among VCSE organisations who supported marginalised and minoritised communities during the Covid-19 pandemic in Northern England – a qualitative focus group study. BMC Health Services Research 2024, 24, 7.
  • Sacre A, Bambra C, Wildman JM, Thomson K, Bennett N, Sowden S, Todd A. Socioeconomic inequalities in vaccine uptake: A global umbrella review. PLoS ONE 2023, 18, e0294688.
  • Gkiouleka A, Wong G, Sowden S, Bambra C, Siersbaek R, Manji S, Moseley A, Harmston R, Khun I, Ford J. Reducing health inequalities through general practice: a realist review and action framework. Lancet Public Health 2023, 8(6), e463-e472.
  • Tanner LM, Wildman JM, Stoniute A, Still M, Bernard K, Green R, Eastaugh CH, Thomson KH, Sowden S. Non-pharmaceutical primary care interventions to improve mental health in deprived populations: a systematic review. British Journal of General Practice 2023, 73(729), e242-e248.
  • Bernard K, Wildman JM, Tanner LM, Stoniute A, Still M, Green R, Eastaugh C, Sowden S, Thomson KH. Experiences of non-pharmaceutical primary care interventions for common mental health disorders in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups: a systematic review of qualitative studies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5237.
  • Haste A, Sharp L, Thomson R, Sowden S. Co-design to deliver service improvement: What does this mean and how can we do it? A qualitative study with upper gastrointestinal cancer patients and professionals. Cancer Reports 2023, 6(3), e1748.
  • Moffat M, Nicholson S, Darke J, Brown M, Minto S, Sowden S, Rankin J. A Qualitative Evaluation of a Health Access Card for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in a City in Northern England. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1429.
  • Wildman JM, Sowden S, Norman C. 'A change in the narrative, a change in consensus': the role of Deep End networks in supporting primary care practitioners serving areas of blanket socioeconomic deprivation. Critical Public Health 2023, 33(4), 434-446.
  • Fu Y, Tang EY, Sowden S, Newton JL, Whitty P. Tailoring lipid management interventions to reduce inequalities in cardiovascular disease risk management in primary care for deprived communities in Northern England: a mixed-methods intervention development protocol. BMJ Open 2022, 12(7), e058951.
  • Sacre A, Bambra C, Wildman JM, Thomson K, Sowden S, Todd A. Socioeconomic Inequalities and Vaccine Uptake: An Umbrella Review Protocol. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11172.
  • Davey F, McGowan V, Birch J, Kuhn I, Lahiri A, Gkiouleka A, Arora A, Sowden S, Bambra C, Ford J. Levelling up health: A practical, evidence-based framework for reducing health inequalities. Public Health in Practice 2022, 4, 100322.
  • Olivera JN, Ford J, Sowden S, Bambra C. Conceptualisation of health inequalities by local healthcare systems: A document analysis. Health and Social Care in the Community 2022, 30(6), e3977-e3984.
  • Tanner L, Sowden S, Still M, Thomson K, Bambra C, Wildman J. Which Non-Pharmaceutical Primary Care Interventions Reduce Inequalities in Common Mental Health Disorders? A Protocol for a Systematic Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Studies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18(24), 12978.
  • Ford J, Sowden S, Olivera J, Bambra C, Gimson A, Aldridge R, Brayne C. Transforming health systems to reduce health inequalities. Future Healthcare Journal 2021, 8(2), e204-e209.
  • Ford J, Knight J, Brittain J, Bentley C, Sowden S, Castro-Avila A, Doran T, Cookson R. Reducing inequality in avoidable emergency admissions: Case studies of local health care systems in England using a realist approach. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy 2021, 27(1), 31-40.
  • Ford J, Gkiouleka A, Kuhn I, Sowden S, Head F, Siersbaek R, Bambra C, Harmston R, Manji S, Moseley A, Wong G. Reducing Health Inequalities through General Practice: A Realist Review (EQUALISE). BMJ Open 2021, 11, e052746.
  • Norman C, Wildman JM, Sowden S. COVID-19 at the Deep End: A Qualitative Interview Study of Primary Care Staff Working in the Most Deprived Areas of England during the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18(16), 8689.
  • Haste A, Lambert M, Sharp L, Thomson R, Sowden S. Patient experiences of the urgent cancer referral pathway—Can the NHS do better? Semi-structured interviews with patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer. Health Expectations 2020, 23(6), 1512-1522.
  • Sowden S, Nezafat Maldonado B, Wildman J, Cookson R, Thomson R, Lambert M, Beyer F, Bambra C. Interventions to reduce inequalities in avoidable hospital admissions: explanatory framework and systematic review protocol. BMJ Open 2020, 10, e035429.
  • Salway SM, Payne N, Rimmer M, Buckner S, Jordan H, Adams J, Walters K, Sowden SL, Forrest L, Sharp L, Hidajat M, White M, Ben-Shlomo Y. Identifying inequitable healthcare in older people: Systematic review of current research practice. International Journal for Equity in Health 2017, 16(1), 123.
  • Forrest LF, Adams J, Ben-Shlomo Y, Buckner S, Payne N, Rimmer M, Salway S, Sowden S, Walters K, White M. Age-related references in national public health, technology appraisal and clinical guidelines and guidance: documentary analysis. Age and Ageing 2017, 46(3), 500-508.
  • Forrest LF, Sowden S, Rubin G, White M, Adams J. Socio-economic inequalities in stage at diagnosis, and in time intervals on the lung cancer pathway from first symptom to treatment: systematic review and meta-analysis. Thorax 2016, 72(5), 430-436.
  • Lambert MF, Sowden S. Revisiting the risks associated with health and healthcare reform in England: perspective of Faculty of Public Health members. Journal of Public Health 2016, 38(4), e438-e445.
  • Moffatt S, Lawson S, Patterson R, Holding E, Dennison A, Sowden S, Brown J. A qualitative study of the impact of the UK 'bedroom tax'. Journal of Public Health 2016, 38(2), 197-205.
  • Wright J, Kamp E, White M, Adams J, Sowden S. Food at checkouts in non-food stores: a cross-sectional study of a large indoor shopping mall. Public Health Nutrition 2015, 18(15), 2786-2793.
  • Beenstock J, Sowden S, Hunter D, White M. Are health and well-being strategies in England fit for purpose? A thematic content analysis. Journal of Public Health 2015, 37(3), 461-469.
  • Forrest LF, Sowden S, Rubin G, White M, Adams J. Socio-economic inequalities in patient, primary care, referral, diagnostic, and treatment intervals on the lung cancer care pathway: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. Systematic Reviews 2014, 3(30), 1-5.
  • Sheringham J, Sowden S, Stafford M, Simms I, Raine R. Monitoring inequalities in the National Chlamydia Screening Programme in England: the added value of ACORN, a commercial geodemographic classification tool. Sexual Health 2009, 6(1), 57-62.
  • Sowden SL, Raine R. Running along parallel lines: how political reality impedes the evaluation of public health interventions. A case study of exercise referral schemes in England. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2008, 62, 835-841.
  • Sowden SL, Breeze E, Barber J, Raine R. Do general practices provide equitable access to physical activity interventions?. British Journal of General Practice 2008, 58(555), 698-701.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Jeffries J, Wearn A, Hassan S, Fryer K, Mitchell C, Sowden S. In at the Deep End: Innovative approaches to engaging underserved communities in Northern England. In: 17th European Public Health Conference. 2024, Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Jeffries J, Wearn A, Hassan S, Chew-Graham C, Sowden S. Qualitative evaluation of a complex mental health intervention in general practices serving socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in northern England. In: Society for Social Medicine & Population Health Annual Scientific Meeting. 2023, Newcastle, UK: BMJ Publishing Group.
  • Scott S, McGowan VJ, Wildman JM, Bidmead E, Hartley J, Mathews C, James B, Sullivan C, Bambra C, Sowden S. COVID-19 and the role of Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises in northern England in responding to the needs of marginalised communities: a qualitative focus group study. In: Public Health Science 2021. 2021, Online: The Lancet Publishing Group.
  • Sowden S, Haste A, Sharp L, Lambert M, Thomson R. Embedding patient voice in cancer service improvement: A qualitative study of patients’ experience of the NHS cancer diagnostic care pathway. In: 2018 NCRI Cancer Conference of National Cancer Research Institute. 2018, Glasgow: Nature Publishing Group.
  • Sowden S, Haste A, Thomson R, Sharp L. Co-design to deliver service improvement – what does this mean and can we do it? A qualitative study with cancer patients and NHS professionals. In: National Cancer Research Institute Conference. 2018, Glasgow, UK.
  • Forrest LF, Sowden S, Rubin G, White M, Adams J. Socio-economic inequalities in stage at diagnosis, and in time from first symptom to treatment, for lung cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis. In: European Public Health Conference. 2014, Glasgow: Oxford University Press.
  • Moffatt S, Brown J, Sowden S, Patterson RA, Holding E, Dennison A, Lawson S. Public Health Implications of UK welfare reform: qualitative research in a North East England community. In: European Public Health Conference. 2014, Glasgow, UK: European Journal of Public Health.
  • Sowden S, White M. High-rise health: a qualitative study of the effect of social housing improvements on the health and wellbeing of residents in high-rise flats. In: Public Health Science: A National Conference Dedicated to New Research in UK Public Health. 2014, Glasgow, UK: The Lancet Publishing Group.
  • Sowden S, White M. High-rise health: a qualitative study of the effect of social housing improvements on the health and wellbeing of residents in high-rise flats. In: Public Health Science 2014. 2014, Glasgow, Scotland, UK: The Lancet Publishing Group.
  • Wright J, Kamp E, White M, Adams J, Sowden S. Food at checkouts of non-food stores: a cross-sectional study of a large indoor shopping mall in Gateshead UK, February - March 2014. In: European Public Health Association. 2014, Glasgow, UK: European Journal of Public Health.

• Report

  • Sowden SL. Is Access to and Use of Exercise Referral Scheme Equitable? An examination of socioeconomic differences in referral to and use of Exercise Referral Schemes in London [PhD thesis]. London, UK: University College London, 2009.