Mark Ferguson is a social-environmental epidemiologist. He conducted his MRC GW4 DTP-funded doctoral research at the European Centre for Environment and Human Health. The project used longitudinal birth cohorts to investigate the impact of natural environments on child development.
Before pursuing his doctorate, he applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to measure access to natural environments and evaluate their distribution among socio-demographic groups. He worked on projects at both the ECEHH and the University of Leeds.
Since completing his doctorate, he has continued to explore these research themes as a postdoctoral research associate on the NERC-funded RENEW project. Currently, he is a Research Fellow collaborating with Professor Ben Wheeler on an NIHR-funded Population Health Career Scientist Fellowship. This project aims to examine how green and blue infrastructure can be used to address health inequalities.
Mark’s research focuses on the interactions between human health and the natural environment. His broad interests include environmental determinants of health, environmental and health equity, and methods for measuring and conceptualising contact with nature. He employs diverse methodologies, including cohort analyses, geographic information systems (GIS), systems thinking, and literature reviews.