1-2pm, Weds 18 March 2026, online
Join us for the next Coast-R webinar exploring how place shapes health in England’s coastal communities, with talks from Dr. Jane Deville and Rachel Maw (NIHR HDRC North Yorkshire) and Dr. Emily Murray (Centre for Coastal Communities, University of Essex).
Dr. Jane Deville and Rachel Maw, of the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration North Yorkshire (HDRC), will speak on understanding and addressing health inequalities that can occur within coastal communities. This presentation will introduce the Health Determinants Research Collaboration North Yorkshire (HDRC NY) and its role in building research capacity and capability within North Yorkshire Council. Drawing on insights from the Coastal Health Needs Assessment, it explores the challenges of coastal living and their implications for health determinants, including potential areas for evidence informed action to improve health and wellbeing in North Yorkshire’s coastal communities.
Dr. Emily Murray, Director of the Centre for Coastal Communities at the University of Essex, and colleagues have recently found that young people living in coastal communities in England have higher levels of mental health than their peers inland. Emily’s presentation will explore potential explanations for this finding, including the coastal environment, the socio-economic challenges of the people who live in these communities, and access to childcare.
The webinar will be chaired by the Coast-R Network’s Prof Stuart McLelland. Stuart is Deputy Director of the Energy and Environment Institute at the University of Hull and Professor of Water Science, conducting research focused on the experimental modelling of rivers and coasts, and particularly understanding how climate change impacts on these environments.
The webinar will take place via teams. To book your place please click the link below:
Meet the speakers
Dr Jane Deville: HDRC North Yorkshire & University of Hull
Jane is an experienced researcher with over 20 years experience of working in academia and local government, specialising in policy development and service provision, particularly addressing rural inequalities.
Jane joined Hull York Medical School in August 2024 as an Embedded Researcher working within the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration North Yorkshire. This is a collaboration between the University of Hull, North Yorkshire Council and the University of York which aims to build the capability and capacity of the Council and the two Universities to conduct and use research to improve health and wellbeing.
Jane previously held the role Senior Research Fellow at the University of Lincoln where she was also Impact Lead within the Business School, overseeing REF Impact Case Studies and facilitating academic collaboration with external organisations. Following a postgraduate career at the University of Cambridge she also previously worked in research within local government.
Rachel Maw: HDRC North Yorkshire & North Yorkshire Council
Rachel is a Public Health Officer at North Yorkshire Council. She studied Human Geography at university and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Promotion and Public Health.
She began her public health career in 2001, working in North Yorkshire until 2010. After a career break, Rachel returned to work in a variety of roles before rejoining Public Health in 2021 to support the North Yorkshire LA response to the COVID 19 pandemic.
Rachel now works within the Healthier Lives, Communities, and Economies sub-team where her focus is on Inclusion Health, with a particular emphasis on Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Showpeople communities across North Yorkshire. She also contributes to the North Yorkshire Coastal Health Needs Assessment, a comprehensive review examining the health and well-being of coastal communities. This work helps to identify the unique local challenges and supports the development of targeted public health actions to improve outcomes for residents.
Outside of work, Rachel lives on a mixed farm near the North York Moors, where she is currently preparing for the start of lambing season.
Dr Emily Murray: Director of the Centre for Coastal Communities, University of Essex
Dr. Murray is Director at the Centre for Coastal Communities at the University of Essex. Previously, she was a senior researcher at University College London for nine years. She received a PhD in social epidemiology at the University of Michigan, travelling to the UK for a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, over 20 years ago.
