Kate Elizabeth Pickett (born 1965
) is a British epidemiologist and political activist who is Professor of
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...
in the Department of Health Sciences at the
University of York
The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...
, and was a
National Institute for Health and Care Research Career Scientist from 2007 to 2012. She co-authored (with
Richard G. Wilkinson) ''
The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better'' and is a co-founder of The
Equality Trust. Pickett was awarded a 2013 Silver Rose Award from Solidar for championing equality and the 2014 Charles Cully Memorial Medal by the
Irish Cancer Society.
Career
Pickett was a
commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...
for the York Fairness Commission and a commissioner for the
Living Wage Commission. She serves on the Scientific Council of Inequality Watch and the Scientific Board of Progressive Economy, and is a member of the Human Capital Research Working Group of the
Institute for New Economic Thinking. She is on the Steering Committee of the Alliance for Sustainability and Prosperity.
Background
Pickett trained in
biological anthropology
Biological anthropology, also known as physical anthropology, is a natural science discipline concerned with the biological and behavioral aspects of human beings, their extinct hominin ancestors, and related non-human primates, particularly fro ...
at
Robinson College, Cambridge,
nutritional science at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
and
epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...
at the
University of California Berkeley, where she received the Warren Winkelstein award for epidemiology. She is a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...
and a Fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health.
Research
One programme of research focuses on the
social determinants of health, including the influences of such factors as social class, income inequality, neighbourhood context and ethnic density on such varied outcomes as mortality and morbidity, teenage birth, obesity,
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and health-related behaviours. A second research agenda focuses on smoking in pregnancy, its causal role in relation to behavioural problems in children and its
psychosocial context.
Politics
In August 2015, Pickett endorsed
Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North (UK Parliament constituency), Islington North since 1983. Now an Independent ...
's
campaign in the
Labour Party leadership election.
Honours
Pickett was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(OBE) in the
2023 New Year Honours for services to societal equality.
Selected bibliography
Books
*
*
** Adapted as the 2016 documentary film ''
The Divide''. Picket and Wilkinson each appear as commentators.
*
Journal articles
*
References
External links
International Network for Research on Inequalities in Child Health Research ProfileUniversity of York Academic Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickett, Kate
1965 births
British women epidemiologists
British epidemiologists
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
Academics of the University of York