Overview

Jess is a Research Fellow at the University of Exeter’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health (ECEHH) and comes from public health practice.

While she currently works on the health impacts of climate change, she has expertise in health inequality, children and young people’s health, sexual health, women and girls’ rights and domestic and sexual violence. Jess is also an experienced facilitator and trainer.

Her work centres around bridging the gap between research and practice; bringing a public health approach to big issues like climate adaptation and promoting equitable engagement and co-design approaches.

Jess currently works on LCAT, a tool which supports local decision-makers to understand their future climate, subsequent health impacts, vulnerable populations and evidence-based solutions for action. The tool was highly commended in the international Climate Challenge Cup as part of COP-26 and is currently supported by Horizon Europe and UKRI BlueAdapt.

Jess leads the public health approach on LCAT, including the projects’ enquiry into equitable adaptation, health inequality and climate justice.  She leads LCAT’s stakeholder engagement and co-design process, working in partnership with local and national policy-makers and practitioners to design a tool that meets their needs while understanding the policy and practice barriers and levers to climate adaptation action.

In addition to the main tool, she leads the development of a co-designed learning resource to help local policy-makers and practitioners understand climate adaptation and health and wellbeing impacts.

Jess is also an artist and ambassador for Arts Well, championing the links between creativity, the arts and health and wellbeing. She is always looking for ways to bring art, justice, health and the environment/ nature together!

Qualifications

• BA (Hons) English Literature (Cardiff)
• MSC Public Health (University of the West Of England - UWE)

Research group links

• Environment and human health

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Research

Research interests

• Health impacts of climate change
• Health inequality and climate justice
• Equitable engagement and co-design
• Research into policy and practice; knowledge exchange & impact
• Arts and health

Research projects

• LCAT (Local Climate Adaptation Tool)
• 'The lived experience of disabled staff' (internal report, 2024) 

Publications

Conferences

• Research Perspectives on the Health Impacts of Climate Change, European Commission (Feb 2024) 

Poster: Local Climate Adaptation Tool (LCAT) Supporting adaptation action to improve health and wellbeing. Emma Bland1 , Timothy J. Taylor1 , Jess Dicken1 , Philippa Mina1 , Marissa Rice1 , Andrew Walton1 , Rhys Hobbs2 , Simon Kirby1 , Fliss Guest1 , Peter Lefort1 [1 University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom. 2 Cornwall Council, Cornwall, United Kingdom] (2024)  Poster URL

• FPH Climate & Health Conference: Adapting to a warming world, Faculty of Public Health (2023)

Poster & presentation: Local Climate Adaptation Tool Supports Health and Wellbeing 

• LGA Annual Conference: Innovation Zone (June, 2022)

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Office Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday

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