Author: SSM Communications & Newsletter

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This year marked the 69th conference of the Society for Social Medicine and Population Health and we were honoured to be hosted by the Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR) and make the most of Bradford's City of Culture 2025 status, using venues across the city centre including the historic Midland Hotel and City Hall. Over the 10-12 September, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners came together for three days of engaging presentations, debates, and discussions. In case you missed it, or would like to reminisce on the event, here’s a recap!

Welcome to Bradford!

As always, ECRs were treated to an early preview of Bradford on Tuesday 9th September’s ECR day. Read what they got up to in this ECR day recap. 

We were also delighted to offer a number of free and subsidised places to the conference to students, ECRs and others with limited conference funding, and this year also opened up this scheme to NHS and Local authority colleagues. Read some highlights of Bradford from recipients of the scheme on our blog. 

On Wednesday we were treated to Professor Nick Wareham’s Pemberton Lecture on "Translating epidemiology into public health action." Nick shared insights from his career understanding type 2 diabetes and translating research into prevention strategies at both individual and societal levels. The rest of the day was jam-packed with 35 oral presentations across themes from health disparities to air pollution, alongside the first poster session showcasing 31 research projects.

The evening saw delegates welcomed to Bradford’s impressive City Hall for a civic reception hosted by Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council, who highlighted Bradford's commitment to evidence-based policy and the city's unique position as home to Born in Bradford's ground breaking research programmes.

Bridging Research and Practice

A highlight on Thursday was the plenary panel debate on "How do we get research evidence into policy & practice," expertly chaired by Sunil Bhopal. The panel – including former UK Health Security Agency CEO Jenny Harries, Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe, West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Professor Kat Smith, and Professor John Wright from BIHR – shared fascinating insights about the challenges and opportunities in translating research into real-world impact. Key takeaways included the importance of timing, building alliances, and the power of compelling storytelling in policy engagement.

The afternoon offered workshops from Born in Bradford and Born in Bradford Better start on Bradford’s city-wide research infrastructure and from the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire & Humber on knowledge mobilisation strategies. Others took the chance to explore Bradford's cultural offerings including touring the City Hall, exploring the National Science and Media Museum, and visiting Salts Mill and Saltaire. At the Annual General Meeting, the Society was delighted to award honorary life memberships to Professor Jenny Mindell, and past SSM Presidents Professor Catherine Hayes and Professor Martin White, in recognition of their longstanding contributions to the Society and the field of social medicine and population health.

Thursday evening's conference dinner in the Midland's Princes Ballroom featured entertainment from Dhol band Punjabi Roots, who treated delegates to an engaging and vibrant performance!

Evidence Foundations for a Good Society

Friday's programme culminated with Professor Kate Pickett's thought-provoking Cochrane Lecture on "The Evidence Foundations of a Good Society." The University of York epidemiologist and co-author of The Spirit Level challenged us to think about how research can contribute to building more equitable societies, providing a fitting close to three days of discussions about public health's role in addressing societal challenges.

Thank You Bradford!

Huge thanks to co-chairs Katie Swinden and Professor Jane West, the entire Local Organising Committee, and the teams at BIHR and NIHR ARC Yorkshire & Humber for their dedication in delivering such a memorable conference. With 76 oral presentations, 96 posters, and countless conversations over coffee breaks, SSM 2025 demonstrated once again the vitality of our research community.

We’re looking forward to seeing you all in London for SSM 2026!