Dr Emma Louise Giles (Fisher) was awarded her PhD from Newcastle University in 2010. Her PhD explored the links between diet, alcohol, and physical activity in young adults, focusing on social marketing as a method to achieve lifestyle behaviour change.

She joined the School of Health and Life Sciences (formerly School of Health and Social Care) in April 2015 as Senior Research Lecturer in Public Health, and is now Associate Professor in Public Health.

Emma has over 62 peer-reviewed journal articles and has secured over £700,000 in competitive grant funding. She is a peer reviewer for several high profile journals including Journal of the American Medical Association, PLOS One, and Appetite, and is Associate Editor for BMC Public Health and PLOS ONE.

Emma is a member of the School of Health and Life Sciences Research Ethics and Governance Committee, is a member of the School's Athena Swan Committe, and is a member of the University's Health and Wellbeing Grand Challenge group. She is also a Fellow of Advance HE (formerly The Higher Education Academy), a none-clinical member of BSACI, and an Alliance member of the British Dietetic Association.

Currently she supervises 10 PhD students based at Teesside University and three MSc students. She is available to act as an internal and external PhD examiner.

Emma’s research interests are primarily in the areas of: mental and physical health related to weight management and diet quality, food insecurity, food allergies and impact on mental health, behaviour change interventions, health promotion and wider public health behaviours, as well as designing health systems that provide seamless care. Her methodological expertise is particularly in qualitative research, systematic reviews, and co-production.

Current Projects

Food Insecurity in those with severe mental illness (2021-2023)

Principal Investigator: Dr Emma Giles and Jo Smith (TEWV NHS FT)

Funder: NIHR Research for Patient Benefit

Children and Young People Tier 2 Weight Management evaluation (2020-2021)

Principal Investigator: Dr Emma Giles

Funder: Gloucestershire County Council

Understanding the impact of physical activity levels within the North East of England during COVID-19 lockdowns (2020-2021)

Research Team: Dr Emma Giles, Dr Alison Innerd, Dr Natalie Connor, Dr Michael Graham

Funder: Unfunded

Research Team: Dr Emma Giles, Dr Stephanie Scott

Funder: Unfunded

Funder: NIHR ARC NENC

System-level analysis of MECC implementation across the North East and Cumbria: A comparative study of delivery models, service reach and system relationships (2021-2022)

Principal Investigator: Dr Angela Rodrigues

Co-Applicant: Dr Emma Giles et al.

Funder: NIHR ARC NENC

Previous Projects

A scoping review of food poverty in adults with severe mental illness (2020-2021)

Principal Investigator: Jo Smith

Research Team: Dr Emma Giles, Heidi Stevens, Prof. Amelia Lake

Funder: Unfunded

Understanding the treat culture in secure mental inpatient units (2020-2021)

Principal Investigator: Anita Atalla

Co-Applicants: Dr Emma Giles, Jo Smith

Funder: CNTW NHS FT and NIHR New Investigator Awards Scheme

Understanding use of the NBMI CLiP - A Weight off Your Mind (2021-2022)

Principal Investigator: Dr Emma Giles

Co-Leads: Dr Lauren Bussey, Jo Smith

Funder: NIHR ARC NENC

Modelling financial incentives to motivate pregnant smokers to quit - using Evolutionary Game Theory (2020-2022)

Principal Investigator: Dr Susan Jones

Co-Leads: Dr Emma Giles, Professor Falko Sniethotta

Developing an audit tool for mapping training for suicide and self-harm (2021)

Principal Investigator: Jill Barker

Project Manager: Dr Emma Giles

Funder: North East and North Cumbria Suicide Prevention Network

NHS 111 Mental Health Support Service Evaluation (2020)

Principal Investigator: Jill Barker

Project Manager: Dr Emma Giles

Funder: ICS NHS NENC

A scoping review of the evidence on suicide and self-harm training (2020)

Principal Investigator: Jill Barker

Project Manager: Dr Emma Giles

Funder: North East and North Cumbria Suicide Prevention Network

Lifestyle Interventions following Breast Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review (2020)

Principal Investigator: Dr Grant McGeechan

Funder: Unfunded

Physical Activity, Health and Community Evidence: essential data to inform the initial stage of Intervention Mapping; Local Activity Pilot (2018-2019)

Principal Investigator: Dr Liane Azevedo

Funder: Sport England

A multi-centre individual-randomised controlled trial of screening and brief alcohol intervention to prevent risky drinking in young people aged 14-15 in a high school setting (SIPS JR-HIGH) (2015-2018)

Principal Investigator: Prof. Dorothy Newbury-Birch

Project Manager: Dr Emma L Giles

Co-investigators: Kings College London, The University of Kent, Liverpool John Moore's University, Newcastle University.

Funder: NIHR PHR

Measuring change from alcohol brief interventions: Development of a consensus core outcome set (2016-2018)

Principal Investigator: Prof. Dorothy Newbury-Birch

Co-investigators: Dr Emma L Giles, Prof. Aisha Holloway, Prof. Jeremy Bray, Prof. Anne Berman, Dr Gillian Shorter, Dr Amy O'Donnell

Funder: NHS - Balance

A pilot study to explore the feasibility and efficacy of the BeeZee Bodies/Healum App (2017-2018)

Principal Investigator: Dr Louisa Ells

Co-investigators: Dr Emma L Giles, Dr Liane Azevedo, Healum

Funder: Healum

Evaluating the North Yorkshire Healthy Choices tier 2 weight management programme for children and young people aged 5-19 years (2017-2018)

Principal Investigator: Dr Louisa Ells

Co-investigators: Dr Emma L Giles, Dr Liane Azevedo

Funder: North Yorkshire County Council

Socio-ecological influences on adolescent alcohol use and linked unhealthy eating behaviours (2016-2018)

Principal Investigator: Dr Stephanie Scott

Co-investigators: Dr Emma L Giles, Dr Louisa Ells, Dr France Hillier-Brown

Funder: Fuse, The Centre for Translational Research in Public Health

A systematic review of alcohol interventions for people living with and beyond cancer (2017)

Principal Investigator: Prof. Dorothy Newbury-Birch

Co-investigators: Dr Emma L Giles, Dr Grant McGeechan

Funder: Alcohol Research UK

Children and young people: Alcohol study (2016-2017)

Principal Investigator: Dr Emma L Giles

Co-investigators: Prof. Dorothy Newbury-Birch, Dr Grant McGeechan, Balance (North East Alcohol Office)

Funder: NHS - Balance

Financial incentives for health behaviours (2012-2015)

Principal Investigator: Dr Jean Adams

Researcher: Dr Emma L Giles

Advisors: Prof. Elaine McColl, Prof. Falko Sniehotta

Funder: NIHR

Older People and Dietary Behaviours (2010-2011)

Principal Investigator: Dr Sharron Kuznesof

Co-investigators: Dr Emma L Giles

Funder: Newcastle University

Emma currently supervises the following postgraduate research students.

Ongoing:

PhD Students Supervised to Completion

Dr Gillian Milton (PhD). Supervised by Prof. Newbury-Birch (DoS), Dr Tracy Finch, Dr Emma Giles (3^rd supervisor), 2015-2018: ‘Embedding interventions into public health within a changing landscape’. Completed 2018.

Dr Siobhan Taylor (PhD). Supervised by Dr Susy Cook (DoS), Dr Emma Giles (3^rd supervisor), Prof. Robert McSherry, ‘How does Lean work in healthcare?’ Completed 2019.

Dr Daniel Jones (Graduate Tutor): Second supervisor 2016-2020 ‘Exploring physical activity interventions in preschool children’ (PhD). Awarded 2021.

Dr Jennifer Teke Epse Che: Third supervisor 2013-2021 ‘Exploring barriers, facilitators and marketing strategies for weight management programmes for BME communities in Medway’ (Doctorate in Public Health).

Dr Kate Byrnes (Graduate Tutor). Supervised by Dr Emma Giles (DoS), Dr Grant McGeechan, Prof. Sharon Hamilton, 2017-2021: ‘Behaviour change interventions to increase uptake of cancer screening initiatives in those with learning disabilities’. 

Dr Abimbola Ojo: Second supervisor 2013-2021 ‘Promotion of healthy food in the fight against obesity: exploring the perception, beliefs, understanding, and practice of healthy eating among Black Africans in the South-East London, England’ (Doctorate in Public Health).

Emma is an Associate Member of Fuse, The Centre for Translational Research, a member of the Food Nutrition Group of the British Sociological Association. Through Fuse, Emma is also a member of the National Institute for Health Research funded School for Public Health Research. She is a deputy lead for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration NENC theme for integrating physical health, mental health, and social care.

Emma is co-lead for the Behaviour Change Research Theme, as part of Fuse, and is Chair of the North East Obesity Forum. She is also co-deputy lead for the Centre for Public Health Research at Teesside University, and a Staff Mental Health Champion at Teesside University.

Emma is an External Examiner for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University (2019-2024).

• Newcastle University
• Durham University
• Northumbria University
• The University of Cambridge
• Kings College London
• The University of Kent
• Liverpool John Moores University
• The University of Edinburgh
• The University of Lincoln
• The University of Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
• Karoline Institute, Sweden
• RTI, North Caroline, USA

Emma has recently authored a chapter in a book titled ‘Co-creating and Co-producing Research Evidence: A Guide for Practitioners and Academics in Health, Social Care and Education Settings’. 

Emma contributes to teaching within the School of Health and Life Sciences as a guest lecturer for the Doctorate in Public Health, and the MSc in Clinical Research.

She is also a guest lecturer in the School of Social Science, Humanities and Law, on contemporary issues in health psychology.

University level:

• Postgraduate Assessment Board Member, Teesside University: September 2017 to October 2020.
• Human Resources Available Panel Member for Interviews: April 2015 to present

School level:

• Research & Innovation Sub-Committee Member, Teesside University: June 2017 to present
• Postgraduate Tutor School of Health and Life Science, Teesside University: September 2017 to October 2020
• Ethics and Research Governance Member, School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University: July 2017 to present
• School of Health and Life Sciences Athena Swan member: September 2019 to present