Post-graduate teaching
Our postgraduate teaching programmes include the innovative MSc Health and Social Policy and the MSc Public Health and Social Innovation, which CHP members designed and lead, and a PhD in Public Health & Health Policy - PhD students on this programme are important members of the Centre for Health Policy and often contribute to events and blogs.
Both MSc Programmes embed an MSc Placement Dissertation, offering our students the opportunity to apply their academic skills to real-world situations. Working with placement hosts from a range of public sector, third sector and government organisations, students undertake a placement project and produce an output to be used to support the future work of their hosts.
This includes a wide range of specialist and expert organisations, including the UK Parliament, Health and Social Care ALLIANCE, Quarriers, Poverty Alliance, and the Students' Health and Welfare Centre's Organization (SHAWCO) at the University of Cape Town.
Our students produce innovative and high-quality outputs, including policy reports, policy briefings, podcasts and academic narrative essays. Placements have included:
Mia Duncan / Health and Social Care ALLIANCE (2024): Developing a Picture of Creative Engagement in Anti-Stigma Work https://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/
Leonard Wang / SHAWCO, University of Cape Town (2025): completed a project entitled Band-Aid Care and the Policy Role of Student-Run Free Clinics? Leonard completed a 3 week placement in South Africa and produced a narrative essay for SHAWCO. Full details of his experience can be found here: Leonard Wang | University of Strathclyde
Ben Davren / Quarriers (2025): completed a project focussed on Short Break Services, and produced a Policy Report entitled, Service Innovation: A Report into Short Break Services. Ben’s work was presented to Stuart McMillan MSP, and referenced in the Scottish Parliament. A reflection from Quarriers on Ben’s placement is available here: Ben Davren - Quarriers | LinkedIn
Kate Gibson / NHS Education Scotland (2025): completed a project assessing the implications of the Scottish Government’s Digital Front Door policy on women’s access to healthcare.
Megan Falconer / SHERU Project (2025): completed a project on the impact of housing on health inequalities in Edinburgh.
Emma Slavin / THRIVING: Food Futures Project (2025): Community Food Pantries: a combined response to food insecurity and environmental sustainability? A briefing developed for Scottish Government social researchers and policymakers
Placements are currently being developed for the 2026/27 academic year. If you or your organisation would be interested in hosting an MSc student on placement, please get in touch with module leads, emma.hill@strath.ac.uk or lisa.garnham@strath.ac.uk
Short courses
We offer a short course for people looking to carry out community-led research with or for their community, called From Experience to Evidence: Foundations in Peer Research. This course is designed to equip students with the basics of how to design, develop, deliver and share the findings of their research, and is part of our commitment to community-led research.
The course currently runs in-person over 10 weeks. Significant discounts on course fees are available to learners affiliated with a third sector organisation. This course is also ideal for people taking part in academic research projects as peer researchers.
This course is led by the Centre for Health Policy’s Associate Director for Participatory Research, Dr Lisa Garnham. If you have any questions about the course, or would like to enrol in our next session, please contact lisa.garnham@strath.ac.uk.