Dr Karen Maxwell is a post-doctoral public health researcher with an interest in reducing social inequalities. Karen is a Research Fellow in the Institute for Social Marketing & Health, working across a range of projects on substance use, alcohol and societal harms. Karen previously worked in substance use and sexual health research at Glasgow Caledonian University, leading on the qualitative work packages of various projects. Most recently, Karen led the qualitative arm of a Scottish Government funded project on improving population health by increasing early diagnosis of Blood Borne Viruses (BBVs) in Scotland, integrating expert review of evidence with stakeholder focus group work.
Prior to her work at GCU, Karen worked at the MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow for 10 years, conducting qualitative research across a broad range of public health topics, including sexual health, substance use, gender and health, parenting, and women's reproductive health. Her research interests focus on gender and social inequalities in health.
Research Interests: substance use, alcohol and societal harms, sexual health, women's health, vulnerable groups, qualitative methods, deliberative methods.
Article
Buston K, O’Brien R & Maxwell K (2022) The Case for Targeted Parenting Interventions with Reference to Intergenerational Transmission of Parenting: Qualitative Evidence from Three Studies of Marginalised Mothers' and Fathers' Participation in Parenting Programmes. Child Care in Practice, 28 (3), pp. 274-289. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2020.1812533
