Catherine is a researcher at the Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCfPP) currently investigating the impact of collaboration on public sector efficiency. This work forms part of a larger Horizon 2020 project examining collaborative governance across a number of EU countries (TROPICO – tropico-project.eu/).
Before joining the Centre, Catherine was a research associate at CASCADE, Cardiff University, investigating the relationships between forecasting accuracy and decision making in social work. A second strand of work involved conducting systematic evidence reviews on various child and family social care services and interventions. Prior to this, Catherine was a researcher within the NHS where she worked on a data linkage project analysing patterns of serious violence in South Wales. The wider aim of this project was to identify areas where police and partner agencies could develop initiatives to prevent violence-related injuries.
Catherine has a background in psychology and neuroscience, having completed a BSc (Hons) in Psychology at the University of Stirling and a Wellcome Trust funded PhD in Integrative Neuroscience at Cardiff University. Catherine’s PhD research and postdoctoral fellowship at Concordia University in Montreal investigated the effects of aerobic fitness on brain metabolism.
Catherine’s research interests are in population health, specifically in reduction of health, education and social care inequalities and prevention of chronic diseases associated with lifestyle factors.