Dr Gemma Knowles
Lecturer in Epidemiology and Youth Mental Health
Research interests
- Mental Health
Biography
Dr Gemma Knowles is a Lecturer in Epidemiology and Youth Mental Health in the Department of Health Service & Population Research. Gemma works on the programme of research on social transitions and young people's mental health. Her research focuses on social inequalities in adolescent mental health. She is a big advocate of co-producing knowledge with young people, and tries to weave this into all aspects of her work.
Gemma started out at the University of Birmingham, where she studied for a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science before completing a doctorate in Epidemiology. Her primary area of expertise is conducting large, school-based research studies on physical and mental health. Gemma joined King’s in 2015, having previously worked at Imperial College London as coordinator of a school-based study of cognitive development during adolescence.
Gemma also co-leads the Statistics for Mental Health Research module on the Mental Health Studies MSc at King's IoPPN and loves working with data and learning new methods.
Research interests
- Social epidemiology
- Youth mental health
- Social injustice
- Longitudinal modelling
- Coproducing research with young people
Teaching
- Statistics for mental health research I
- Statistics for mental health research II
- Society and mental health
Expertise and public engagement
Gemma coordinates the Resilience, Ethnicity and AdolesCent mental Health (REACH) study, a school-based cohort study of adolescent mental health in inner-city London. REACH is investigating risk and protective factors for mental health among young people from diverse backgrounds. Gemma also coordinates an extensive public engagement programme and advises on several other school-based projects at the Institute.
If you would like to learn more about REACH and Gemma's work, check out these podcasts or follow her on Twitter (@Gem_K_1):
Research
Resilience, Ethnicity & AdolesCent Mental Health
REACH aims to understand the impact that social circumstances and experiences have on young people’s mental health as they grow up in south London
Project status: Ongoing
Social change, transitions and youth mental health
Investigating whether widespread social changes are linked to the rise in mental health problems among young people.
Project status: Ongoing
The Schools Training to Enhance support for LGBT+ young People (STEP) Study
The STEP Study investigates what training is available to schools to support LGBT+ young people and how this training can be improved.
Project status: Ongoing
Structural and life course determinants of LGBTQ+ health inequalities
Leveraging King’s data and expertise to enhance understanding and move into action.
Project status: Ongoing
Society and Mental Health Research Group
Our group primarily focuses on how social contexts, interactions and experiences shape the occurrence, outcome, and management of mental health problems.
Intergenerational transmission of mental health: understanding the role of family interactions inclusive of fathers and translation into family-based interventions
To understand the factors that accentuate intergenerational transmission of mental health including fathers and explore parenting interventions.
Project status: Ongoing
News
Gender gap in teenage depression is twice as large in London than in Tokyo, new study finds
Research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London has tracked depressive symptoms in 7100 young people...
New Wellcome funding to understand anxiety and trauma
Dr Lauren Heathcote and Dr Gemma Knowles have been awarded Wellcome Mental Health Awards for research to investigate the mechanisms underlying anxiety and...
A Mentally Healthier Nation: support from ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health
The new ‘A Mentally Healthier Nation’ report by the Centre for Mental Health has called for cross-cutting policy to increasing mental health. The report’s...
REACH team recognised for work improving adolescent mental health
A team of King’s researchers generating new information on the impact of social factors on young people’s mental health has been shortlisted for a Public...
Increase in mental distress among young people from disadvantaged backgrounds following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
New research from ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health (CSMH) and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London...
Child and adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
For Children’s Mental Health Week, we highlight some of IoPPN's research into the impact of COVID-19 on child and adolescent mental health, and potential...
New policy briefing calls for action to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the mental health of young people
Researchers at King’s College London and Oxford University have outlined a series of recommendations to address anticipated short- and long-term challenges...
REACH Study on inner-city London schools highlights need for localised support for youth mental health
Dr Gemma Knowles, Research Associate, and Professor Craig Morgan, Professor of Social Epidemiology, lead the REACH Project, based at the ESRC Centre for...
Researchers work with young people to understand mental health challenges and the impacts of lockdown
In the latest episode of the WORLD: we got this podcast, Dr Gemma Knowles talks about the ground-breaking research being undertaken to understand and support...
REACH study to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on mental health in young people
An existing King’s College London project that is researching the mental health of young people from diverse backgrounds and inner-city areas will be...
Events
Demystifying Impact
This event is an opportunity to hear from others on their journey toward research impact, with sessions on how to maximise your own impact.
Please note: this event has passed.
Young voices: a collaborative event sharing findings from the REACH study
The REACH study presents key emerging findings in a collaborative event co-produced by young people.
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
Pandemic impacts on mental health of young people: the REACH study
The REACH Study have published a series of reports on the impact of Covid-19 on adolescent mental health.
How has COVID-19 impacted children and young people?
Since children and adolescents were considered a low health risk, they were far from a priority in the early stages of the pandemic. But with the disruption...
Youth Mental Health and Covid-19: How can we build back fairer?
In 2021, a Policy Lab was held as the culminating event of a jointly run conference exploring the impacts of COVID-19 and related responses on the mental...
Research
Resilience, Ethnicity & AdolesCent Mental Health
REACH aims to understand the impact that social circumstances and experiences have on young people’s mental health as they grow up in south London
Project status: Ongoing
Social change, transitions and youth mental health
Investigating whether widespread social changes are linked to the rise in mental health problems among young people.
Project status: Ongoing
The Schools Training to Enhance support for LGBT+ young People (STEP) Study
The STEP Study investigates what training is available to schools to support LGBT+ young people and how this training can be improved.
Project status: Ongoing
Structural and life course determinants of LGBTQ+ health inequalities
Leveraging King’s data and expertise to enhance understanding and move into action.
Project status: Ongoing
Society and Mental Health Research Group
Our group primarily focuses on how social contexts, interactions and experiences shape the occurrence, outcome, and management of mental health problems.
Intergenerational transmission of mental health: understanding the role of family interactions inclusive of fathers and translation into family-based interventions
To understand the factors that accentuate intergenerational transmission of mental health including fathers and explore parenting interventions.
Project status: Ongoing
News
Gender gap in teenage depression is twice as large in London than in Tokyo, new study finds
Research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London has tracked depressive symptoms in 7100 young people...
New Wellcome funding to understand anxiety and trauma
Dr Lauren Heathcote and Dr Gemma Knowles have been awarded Wellcome Mental Health Awards for research to investigate the mechanisms underlying anxiety and...
A Mentally Healthier Nation: support from ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health
The new ‘A Mentally Healthier Nation’ report by the Centre for Mental Health has called for cross-cutting policy to increasing mental health. The report’s...
REACH team recognised for work improving adolescent mental health
A team of King’s researchers generating new information on the impact of social factors on young people’s mental health has been shortlisted for a Public...
Increase in mental distress among young people from disadvantaged backgrounds following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
New research from ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health (CSMH) and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London...
Child and adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
For Children’s Mental Health Week, we highlight some of IoPPN's research into the impact of COVID-19 on child and adolescent mental health, and potential...
New policy briefing calls for action to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the mental health of young people
Researchers at King’s College London and Oxford University have outlined a series of recommendations to address anticipated short- and long-term challenges...
REACH Study on inner-city London schools highlights need for localised support for youth mental health
Dr Gemma Knowles, Research Associate, and Professor Craig Morgan, Professor of Social Epidemiology, lead the REACH Project, based at the ESRC Centre for...
Researchers work with young people to understand mental health challenges and the impacts of lockdown
In the latest episode of the WORLD: we got this podcast, Dr Gemma Knowles talks about the ground-breaking research being undertaken to understand and support...
REACH study to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on mental health in young people
An existing King’s College London project that is researching the mental health of young people from diverse backgrounds and inner-city areas will be...
Events
Demystifying Impact
This event is an opportunity to hear from others on their journey toward research impact, with sessions on how to maximise your own impact.
Please note: this event has passed.
Young voices: a collaborative event sharing findings from the REACH study
The REACH study presents key emerging findings in a collaborative event co-produced by young people.
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
Pandemic impacts on mental health of young people: the REACH study
The REACH Study have published a series of reports on the impact of Covid-19 on adolescent mental health.
How has COVID-19 impacted children and young people?
Since children and adolescents were considered a low health risk, they were far from a priority in the early stages of the pandemic. But with the disruption...
Youth Mental Health and Covid-19: How can we build back fairer?
In 2021, a Policy Lab was held as the culminating event of a jointly run conference exploring the impacts of COVID-19 and related responses on the mental...