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Kat Smith

@profkatsmith.bsky.social
2.9K followers 708 following 100 posts

Professor of Public Health Policy at the University of Strathclyde. Co-Director of the Centre for Health Policy & Co-Lead of SHERU (the Scottish Health Equity Research Unit). Interested in research, advocacy and policy to reduce inequalities.

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Reposted by Kat Smith
@nasarmeer.bsky.social @nasarmeer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
1/ A slightly strange and lovely thing to be able to say, my book The Social Life of Justice is published tomorrow... www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
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Scottish Health Equity Research Unit @scothealtheq.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Yesterday’s Scottish drug death figures show the rate of drug use deaths among men rose sharply in 2025, following a decline in 2024 although the rate remains below peaks observed between 2018 and 2021. Last year’s fall was welcome, but it was too soon to know whether it marked a sustained change.
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Shout out to driver who stopped in my street despite guys with face masks threatening a hammer, to pick up guy & woman they were chasing. We reported to police,who found them all safe. Always impressed by bystanders who take action. His car got hammered but he kept 2 young people he didn't know safe
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Good to see this new policy implementation report out. Thanks to all participants + @fionamchardy.bsky.social for leading. Key finding: people delivering services know a great deal about what needs to change. If Scotland wants to achieve policy ambitions, this knowledge needs to shape policy design:
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Reposted by Kat Smith
Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It is disgraceful and wilfully misleading that the BBC do not report that Danny Tommo was filmed slashing the boat.
bbc.co.uk
Migrants taken to Dover after more than 30 hours at sea
Protesters gathered in Gosport after initial reports the small boat would be brought further west.
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@nasarmeer.bsky.social @nasarmeer.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
1/ A question our @NuffieldFound REDUK project explores is how devolution makes national difference more politically salient, and when and how it can also reshapes policies on racial equality, belonging and minority incorporation. www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/...
gla.ac.uk
University of Glasgow - Research - Research units A-Z - Racial Equality Since Devolution
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Great to see another paper from Taya Collyer’s brilliant PhD research, examining how disciplinary training shapes population health research: doi.org/10.1016/j.so... It examines the different 'epistemic cultures' within population health research and the disciplinary tensions these can create 1/3
doi.org
Redirecting
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Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
It was completely predictable that there would be more far right disturbances on the streets in summer 2026 - just as there were in 2024 and 2025 - the government should have been much better prepared in its operational and political response.
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 06/09/2026
So in one week: 1) Reform get stung for dodgy finances, and the regulators play pass the parcel about enforcement 2) Farage announces plans to largely dismantle independent scrutiny of govt, and barely any press discussion of it 3) Masked thugs blockade a port, with narry a word from senior govt
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Journal of Critical Public Health @cphjournal.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
With an editorial by @judegreen.bsky.social on 'The (inevitable) politics of public health research' journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/jc...
journalhosting.ucalgary.ca
The (inevitable) politics of public health research | Journal of Critical Public Health
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Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Content warning: Multiple men violently assault a female protester at Reform's conference at the Birmingham NEC, to the visible delight of Nigel Farage.
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Scottish Health Equity Research Unit @scothealtheq.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This year’s Programme for Government is notable because it covers the next 5 years (rather than just a year), supported by annual delivery plans aligned with future budgets. A longer-term framework can improve coherence and funding stability, enabling more joined-up action to reduce inequalities.
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Two @centrehealthpolicy.bsky.social blogs out: one, by me, on whether evidence about solutions will help reduce health inequalities & what else we might do. The other, by @lisagarnham.bsky.social, on the exclusion of community health orgs from strategic decision-making spaces: lnkd.in/p/eHvG-irU
lnkd.in
Centre for Health Policy Prevention Under Pressure: findings from a recent survey of community-led organisations delivering prevention in Scotland | Katherine Smith
We've got two new blogs out University of Strathclyde Centre for Health Policy this week and, though they were written entirely separately, there are some interesting links. In the first, I ask wheth...
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Reposted by Kat Smith
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
So the ultra-rich will continue to own our politics, and our country. Disappointing to say the least. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Burnham drops support for political funding cap aimed at curbing mega-donors
PM said he would set bar at £500k, but trade unions say funding reforms could undermine their ability to donate to Labour
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Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power @identitiesjournal.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Rest in Power Professor #JasonArday.
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@nasarmeer.bsky.social @nasarmeer.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
1/ What has devolution changed for race equality across Britain? Our new @nuffieldfoundation.org funded Policy Briefing we map the strategies, duties, action plans and accountability mechanisms developed since devolution. bsky.app/profile/uofg...
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Julia Lynch @jlynch13.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Hooray! Getting Better* has received the Richard Titmuss Book Prize from @socialpolicyuk.bsky.social. We are so pleased! *available open access at Policy Press: policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/getting-better @profbambra.bsky.social @profkatsmith.bsky.social @premnsikka.bsky.social
Clare Bambra, Lord Sikka (Prem Nath Sikka, SPA Chair), Julia Lynch and Kat Smith standing on a stage at Liverpool Town Hall.Part of the cover of Getting Better: The Policy and Politics of Reducing Health Inequalities, by Clare Bambra, Julia Lynch and Kat Smith.  The cover image is an orange and  yellow sun rising over green hills, in a graphic style reminiscent of 1930s-40s propaganda photos.
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Policy & Politics @policy-politics.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
🔥 Smokefree Public Places Policy in Scotland: Rethinking Policy Work in Multiple Streams and Punctuated Equilibrium Theory by @profkatsmith.bsky.social Discover on our blog: policyandpoliticsblog.com/2026/07/01/s... Check out the full research article: doi.org/10.1332/0305...
doi.org
Smokefree public places policy in Scotland: rethinking policy work in multiple streams and Punctuated Equilibrium Theory
This article examines how and why Scotland became the first UK nation to introduce comprehensive smokefree public places legislation through prominent theories of policy change. To do so, it draws on ...
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Reposted by Kat Smith
Ally Brown @allybrown.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
THREAD: How do the dynamics of devolution and the politics of health inequality interact? My new paper in @cphjournal.bsky.social explores the differentiation function of area-health comparisons. 🚨Contains Andy Burnham content!🚨 journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/jc... 1/9
journalhosting.ucalgary.ca
Framing health inequalities to tell political stories: Devolution makes the difference | Journal of Critical Public Health
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
The attacks in Edinburgh, in which an armed bare-chested white man terrorised Muslims, leaving five people injured, don't feature on a single newspaper front page this morning. Two tier journalism
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
🔴 SCOOP: Farage doesn't seem to want to answer questions about his money. So I went looking - and found that the Reform leader's personal company is in breach of UK company law democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-n...
democracyforsale.substack.com
Revealed: Nigel Farage is breaking British company law
Farage’s personal company has almost £2m in cash but has not filed key documents
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Well done to the demonstrators who turned out in their masses to counter the far right in Brighton. Good people outnumber these hateful little nobodies and always will.
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PJ @septemberrising.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Glasgow now, there is no place in Scotland for racism or fascism.
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Prof Nisreen Alwan @nisreenalwan.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
I’m gonna keep saying this: 📢 Health and science organisations, charities, campaigners, research groups, and everyone: Stop 👏 using 👏 X. Show us you care about the unity of this country. Show us you stand against division, prejudice and hatred. If you stop, the government will eventually stop too.
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Tom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Northern Ireland, functionally, has no immigration. Net immigration last year was about 8000 people in a population of 2 million, and that was a record.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
The houses of ethnic minorities in Belfast didn’t ’go on fire’ last night - as my radio has told me - they were set alight
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@nasarmeer.bsky.social @nasarmeer.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Having spent the day, much like every other day at present, listening to journalists and broadcasters restate unsubstantiated claims, and elide the fact of difference with a trigger for racist violence, here are simple rules even Chris Mason might grasp. ⬇️
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Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
It seems obvious but needs saying that most of Labour's core vote is fundamentally opposed to the far right. Failing to fight back against it rioting on Britain's streets will leave many of those supporters wondering what the point of having a Labour government is.
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@nasarmeer.bsky.social @nasarmeer.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Plausible deniability appears to be a journalistic pillar for significant sections of the British media... www.runnymedetrust.org/publications...
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
New paper from @allybrown.bsky.social, based on his PhD research, in the Journal of Critical Public Health. Really interesting analysis of how health inequalities can be framed (strategically) as part of broader, devolution agendas. Congratulations, Ally! journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/jc...
journalhosting.ucalgary.ca
Framing health inequalities to tell political stories: Devolution makes the difference | Journal of Critical Public Health
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Why is The World At One reading out Rupert Lowe's posts on the Northern Ireland attack, at the start of the bulletin? He leads a party that is polling at about 3%. This is not about "censorship": it's about the choices media outlets make concerning which voices to amplify.
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CELCIS @celcis.org · 07/06/2026
Calling all practitioners, managers, and people who work alongside children and families, who are keen to share their insights for Scotland's Children's Legislative Review. Engagement workshops are now open for registration. Find out more: buff.ly/fKBJfdu
The logo of the Children's Legislative Review. Practitioner workshops are being held to help shape children's care in Scotland.
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@nasarmeer.bsky.social @nasarmeer.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
The Palantir manifesto understands technology as a means of organising the state in defence of a racialised civilisational project. So who will these systems serve, how are they to be governed and held accountable? It's the old dream of technology in service of power: bsky.app/profile/scot...
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
New @policy-politics.bsky.social paper revisits how Scotland became 1st UK nation to introduce smokefree public places. I argue for extending Punctuated Equilibrium Theory via Niche Construction Theory to understand behind the scenes policy work required for implementation success: shorturl.at/GlhxR
shorturl.at
Smokefree public places policy in Scotland: rethinking policy work in multiple streams and Punctuated Equilibrium Theory
This article examines how and why Scotland became the first UK nation to introduce comprehensive smokefree public places legislation through prominent theories of policy change. To do so, it draws on ...
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
The May election suggests alcohol has slipped down Scottish policy agenda. Despite remaining a major driver of preventable death & social harm, most parties said little about prevention. New editorial argues public supports action - issue is political timidity & industry influence: shorturl.at/j0Qkm
linkedin.com
Public support, political silence: alcohol policy and the 2026 Scottish election | Katherine Smith
The May 2026 Scottish elections were a bit of an eye opener for me in terms of how far alcohol has slid down policy agendas. Alcohol remains a major driver of preventable deaths and health inequalitie...
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
New blog with @profbambra.bsky.social & @jlynch13.bsky.social: www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2026/05/26/b... Too many people are dying earlier than they should, and too many communities are spending more years in poor health. This blog is a reminder that there are policy mixes that can change this.
transformingsociety.co.uk
Britain’s health is declining – but it doesn’t have to be this way - Transforming Society
Clare Bambra, Julia Lynch and Katherine Smith, authors of 'Getting Better', argue that declining healthy life expectancy and widening health inequalities in the UK are the result of political and econ...
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Julia Lynch @jlynch13.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
This just out from @profkatsmith.bsky.social, @profbambra.bsky.social and me
transformingsociety.co.uk
Britain’s health is declining – but it doesn’t have to be this way - Transforming Society
Clare Bambra, Julia Lynch and Katherine Smith, authors of 'Getting Better', argue that declining healthy life expectancy and widening health inequalities in the UK are the result of political and econ...
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@nasarmeer.bsky.social @nasarmeer.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
1/When the UK asylum system is described as in 'crisis', what if that's not a breakdown of the system but instead how it functions? In Policy & Politics, @e-c-hill.bsky.social and I argue that 'crisis ordinariness' is a method of governing in which extraordinary harm is presented as administration.
bristoluniversitypressdigital.com
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Prof Dave O'Brien @drdaveobrien.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
This morning the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have published a refreshed and updated list of Areas of Research Interest. These are an important way for researchers to engage with policy, so please do read them! www.gov.uk/government/p...
gov.uk
DCMS Areas of Research Interest
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
NEET may be an administratively useful category but it can stigmatise young people, flatten diffs & obscure conditions shaping lives. We've written a short @equalise.bsky.social briefing. One small shift: avoid 'NEETs', say 'young people in the NEET category' equalisehealthequity.org/2026/05/12/b...
equalisehealthequity.org
Briefing Note on Young People’s Experiences and Views of ‘NEET’ as a Category
Katherine E. Smith, Anna Gkiouleka, Katharine Timpson | Equalise Briefing Note on Young People’s Experiences and Views of ‘NEET’ as a Category |DOI: Equalise Briefing Note on Young People’s Experie…
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Data dashboards are an accessible way of visualising data but often focus on quantitative data. Since qualitative data help explain the lives behind the numbers, we've developed short syntheses of qualitative data for our @scothealtheq.bsky.social - click the quote icons at the bottom of each page:
Quote bubble, as it appears on the Scottish Health Equity Research Unit's data dashboard - users can click to access a short synthesis of relevant qualitative data
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Really enjoyed this paper on diary methods in research: bit.ly/3RJ4P4b Reminded me of an amazing talk by Tony Coxon on diary research with MSM during 80s HIV/AIDS epidemic. The insights transformed public health understanding. I’ve never used diaries but often think about the power of the method.
bristoluniversitypressdigital.com
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Working Class History @workingclasshistory.com · 09/05/2026
#OtD 9 May 1921 Sophie Scholl was born in Germany. Scholl became an anti-fascist activist, helping form the peaceful White Rose resistance group and was executed by the Nazis in 1943. Learn more about German youth resistance to Nazism in our podcast: workingclasshistory.com/podcast/72-e...
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
A week to go until the Scottish elections - here's a quick @scothealtheq.bsky.social overview of what the different manifestos say about prevention, health & key social determinants 👇
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Scottish Health Equity Research Unit @scothealtheq.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
💻️ Recording of our latest webinar is now live 🗳️ Views on health policy and prevention: a look to the Scottish election Featuring Allison Catalano, Katherine Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social David Finch @healthfoundation.bsky.social and Fiona McHardy Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vYX...
youtube.com
Views on health policy and prevention: a look to the Scottish election
In this webinar, we look at Scottish social attitudes towards preventative health and policy and discuss the health context in party manifestos with the Health Foundation. 01:28 Poverty, prevention,…
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Ben Phillips @benphillips76.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
“HEY DID YOU HEAR THE GREAT NEWS?” (Yes, that sounds strange! But take two minutes to hear three good news stories from this week and why they matter, and let me know what you think.)
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
New co-authored paper confirms people in UK are inequality averse 👇 authors.elsevier.com/a/1mqwy3vkP0... Health inequality was regarded as less visible than financial inequality & more unacceptable if caused by it. Some preferred equality even when nobody was better off, citing fairness & cohesion.
sciencedirect.com
Why Object to Inequalities in Health and Well-Being? A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Inequality Aversion With Members of the General Public
To examine whether: (1) reasoning for distributional preferences depends on the domain of inequality; (2) reasoning for distributional preferences is …
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Kat Smith @profkatsmith.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Too often, we assume people don’t get social determinants of health. New @scothealtheq.bsky.social Scottish Social Attitudes data suggest otherwise: strong support for action on health inequals & high awareness of economic factors (eg ⬇️poverty = most popular option for cutting alcohol & drug deaths)
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