PhD Researcher
My PhD title is Assessing the Relationship of Concessionary Bus Use and Health for Older People in Wales
My background
My area of professional interest and qualification centres on public policy and protection. I completed a BSc in Criminology and Social Policy at Swansea University in 2012 and an MSc in Social Research in 2015. I have also been a part time undergraduate Social Policy lecturer since 2012 and am currently a County Councillor for the City and County of Swansea.
My research
In October 2016 I commenced a full-time PhD which assesses the Relationship of Concessionary Bus Pass Use and Health for Older People in Wales. This PhD focusses on two main strands; (1) Identifying current policy and associated data sets within Wales; (2) Identifying potential stakeholders, collaborators and research participants. So far my research has identified that data in Wales is not kept at the same level of detail as data in England, which makes it hard to assess whether the policy has been successful. I am currently working with the Welsh Government and Local councils to assess what data is available, who owns it and whether linkages can be made with SAIL/ADRC.
My overall objective is to examine the potential for concessionary travel data to be mapped to health and social datasets and to identify data cleansing, gaps and quality control needed to maximise its potential. Along with primary data collection and qualitative data analysis, this research will allow me to use a subset of these datasets to directly compare the health of different types of users and non-users and to investigate how far the concessionary fares scheme allows older people to contribute to the wider economy.
Supervisors
Dr Charles Musselwhite, Dr Martin Hyde
