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Professor G.J. Melendez-Torres, Professor of Clinical and Social Epidemiology at the University of Exeter Medical School, has been elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

G.J. is one of 45 leading social scientists to join the Academy’s Fellowship this autumn and has been elected for his significant contributions to social science and excellence in research.

He said: “Social science has been central to my research and teaching, and I am really grateful for this recognition. I am excited to work with the Academy to further the impact that social science has on the health of populations, both in the UK and around the world.”

The Academy of Social Sciences is the national academy of academics, learned societies and practitioners in the social sciences.

Will Hutton FAcSS, President of the Academy, said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome these 45 leading social scientists to the Academy’s Fellowship. Their substantial contributions to social science and wider society have furthered our understanding of the social and environmental factors related to population health, changing cultures of inequality, children and young people’s experiences of gaming and gambling, the importance of diversity and inclusion in organisations, and how businesses can contribute to the sustainable development goals, amongst many others. We look forward to working with them to further promote the important role the social sciences play in our daily lives.” 

The Academy’s Fellowship comprises 1,600 leading social scientists from academia, the public, private and third sectors. The Fellows’ expertise covers the breadth of the social sciences, and their practice and research addresses some of the major challenges facing communities, society, places and economies.

All Academy Fellows are elected for their excellence in their fields and their substantial contributions to social science for public benefit. Selection is through an independent peer review which recognises their excellence and impact. 

We are delighted to welcome some new members to the team:

Clara Martin Pintado has joined as a Graduate Research Assistant in the NIHR Policy Research Programme (PRP).
Joelle Kirby has joined as a Research Fellow in Information Science and Public Health Evidence Synthesis in the NIHR Public Health Review Team.
Valdemar Santo has joined as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Health Economics and Health Policy in the Peninsula Technology Assessment Group (PenTAG)

Welcome to ESMI and we look forward to working with all of you.

Congratulations to our colleagues within ESMI on their recent promotions to Senior Research Fellow: Simon Briscoe, Michael Nunns, Liz Shaw and Becky Whear.  We are all so proud of you and wish you all the very best in your SRF roles.  

Peninsula Technology Group (PenTAG) recently celebrated its 20th birthday with an event at Reed Hall Exeter.   

PenTAG was established in 2001 at the University of Exeter on a sub-contract to the Southampton  

Health Technology Assessment Centre and became a group in its own right in 2003.  It is now one of the most highly respected and well-established health technology assessment (HTA) groups in the UK.

As a team, we were devastated to say goodbye to our colleague and good friend Ken Stein who died in early February. Most of us in ESMI have Ken to thank for being here, whether it be through his setting up of PenTAG in 2001 or through the various iterations of the CLAHRC/ARC which he and Stuart Logan set up and directed from 2008/9. His loss will be felt deeply and he will always be remembered for his vision and values, and in Stuart’s words ‘a passion to improve people’s health, intense intellectual curiosity and his loyalty to the people he worked with’. Thank you Ken, for everything.