Full Blog:

Caroline Kienast Von Einem

Caroline Kienast Von Einem

SSM member since: 2023

SSM participation: Member, attended and presented at the 2023 ASM in Newcastle and 2024 ASM in Glasgow

Topics of interest: Transport Behaviour; Residential Relocation; Spatial inequalities

What inspired you to pursue a career in public health?

I came to public health through my background in geography and urban planning, where I became increasingly interested in how environments influence health – often through ‘invisible’ everyday exposures like housing, transport, and neighbourhood infrastructure. Public health offered a way to bring my spatial, population-based thinking into a more applied, impact-oriented field. I like that it allows us to address the root causes of health inequalities, not just the acute symptoms.

What excites you about working in research now?

What excites me is the ability to collectively unpack complex systems. Through research, I can uncover how mobility, life transitions, and environment intersect to shape health, sometimes in ways that go unnoticed by standard evaluation methods. I’m also excited by working across disciplines and using that to look at health not in isolation but as something shaped by many different influences. This approach makes research both intellectually stimulating by learning from diverse perspectives, and practically meaningful in addressing challenges in their real-world messiness.

What area of social medicine/public health are you interested in?

I’m particularly interested in how place, mobility, and inequality interact to shape health — and how public health interventions can be designed to adapt to that complexity. My work focuses on spatial and population-level dynamics like residential relocation, urban change, and travel behaviour. I’m also strongly drawn to methodological innovation: testing, adapting, and critiquing research methods to improve how we study interventions and behavioural outcomes.

Can you tell us a bit about a project you’re working on now?

I have just finalised my PhD research which focused on residential relocation and active travel, exploring how moving home affects walking and cycling, and how that interacts with health outcomes. I’ve analysed large-scale survey and census data, and re-analysed qualitative interviews to understand both mechanisms and population dynamics. One key finding is that movers are often different from longer settled residents, including their responses to interventions like new transport infrastructure, and that ignoring them could skew public health evaluations.

What do you hope this will lead to?

I hope it leads to more inclusive and adaptive approaches in public health practice, and interventions are designed with mobile, diverse populations in mind. I’d like to see relocation used not as a reason to exclude people from evaluations, but as a trigger for targeted support and better design. Longer term, I’d love to contribute to tools and strategies that help cities to create healthier environments for everyone – no matter how complex or cumbersome.

Bonus question from ECR sub-committee: Are there any mentors or role models who have influenced your career path?

Absolutely, though I wouldn’t point to a single individual. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by many inspiring role models, particularly strong and supportive female researchers. At the MRC Unit, I’ve worked alongside an incredible group of fellow female PhD students, professors, and programme leaders. It’s been a uniquely positive environment that’s taught me the value of mutual understanding and the power of women uplifting one another while excelling in their fields. So rather than one mentor, I would say draw inspiration from this group of women.

SSM ECR features is a blog series that celebrates early career researchers. Each month we meet a member we admire, learn more about their work and find out what and who inspires them. To find out more visit blog or email ecr.ssm@gmail.com.