Dr Emmylou Rahtz (she/her)

About me:

Emmylou is a Research Fellow at the European Centre for Environment and Human Health, WHO Collaborating Centre on Natural Environments and Health at the University of Exeter Medical School. 

Emmylou’s research addresses the relationships between physical health and wellbeing and the social, cultural and environmental contexts which affect these relationships. She has explored these in varied settings, from the influence of street violence on psychological wellbeing and distress, to the role of healing and spiritual practices in wellbeing, to urban greenspaces shaping health and wellbeing inequalities at individual and community levels. She is currently working on GroundsWell, a PRP-funded project with a focus on exploring the decision-making arrangements and contexts of urban greenspace and urban bluespace initiatives for health, co-benefits and inequalities.

She is a mixed methods researcher with a strong interest in developing novel and creative methods, and a fundamentally interdisciplinary approach. Methods used to date include short story and arts-based qualitative enquiry, and qualitative surveys as well as quantitative approaches. Emmylou is also passionate about research engagement and impact, and has been involved in creating hospital exhibitions, experiential science events at festivals and workshops to disseminate and interrogate research findings.

Current project:

GroundsWell