Heather Mitchell
PhD student
Research Area
My current research explores how the media communication of public health guidelines contributes to public debate, using the revised UK drinking guidelines as a case study. My wider research interests include but are not limited to: policy framing; policy narratives; policy theory; the politics of public health; health policy; and alcohol policy.
Biography
I am a PhD student at the Institute for Social Marketing and Health, University of Stirling. The primary focus of my research is to explore how the media communication of the revised UK drinking guidelines contributed to public debate on alcohol policy. To achieve this, my PhD uses mixed qualitative methods to, firstly, identify the frames and narratives used by stakeholders when communicating the guidelines in the media, and, secondly, to analyse these communications within their wider political and policy context.
I hold a first class BA (Hons) in Politics and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) with distinction from the University of Stirling. I currently work part-time as a Research Assistant at the University of Stirling, and also hold a voluntary position as the Coordinator of Stirling University’s Alcohol Discussion Group, a public engagement group on alcohol policy. I have previously worked as a Public Policy Consultant at the World Wildlife Fund and as a Research Assistant at the University of Stirling, University of Warwick and Nottingham Trent University. I have also completed a placement at the Scottish Government.