Personal Statement
Rebecca qualified in Dentistry from Bristol University and has held both clinical (including Clinical Director of Salaried Services in South Glamorgan), academic (Kings College London, Liverpool University), and health policy positions (previous Deputy Chief Dental Officer for England). She is currently Professor and Honorary Consultant in Dental Public Health at the University of Liverpool, and also Senior Clinical Advisor for Dental Contract Reform Strategy, at the Department of Health and Social Care.

Rebecca's research is in oral health inequalities and health systems, especially in relation to real world settings of primary dental care and vulnerable communities, both in the UK and globally. Her previous NIHR grants include studies into the factors which influence responses to dental contracts (NIHR HSDR project 09/1801/1055) and delivery of preventive care in dental practice (NIHR HSDR project 13/33/45 – the PREFER trial and ethnography on presenting information on risk to patients).

In 2020 Rebecca was awarded the International Association for Dental Research 2020 Distinguished Scientist Award for Behavioural, Epidemiologic and Health Services Research. This IADR award is one of the top distinctions in dentistry and is made to recognise “outstanding achievement and significant contribution to the field of oral health research.”

Rebecca's work supports the realisation of Universal Health Coverage – so that all individuals and communities can receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship. For dental services this can be a real challenge. Rebecca is current leading a NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research which is developing and testing an intervention to reduce inequalities in the use of routine dental services in England. For more information on this see the study website at https://www.returnproject.co.uk/

Rebecca has experience with inter-disciplinary research and university leadership. She led a successful Institute Athena SWAN silver award in 2015; served as Head of Department of Health Services Research 2017-2020 (with a range of disciplines and settings such as general medical practice, mental health, vision services, palliative care, bioethics etc.); and as interim Dean of the Institute of Population Health Sciences 2018-2020.

Previous positions also include NIHR Research Design Services Strategic Lead for Public Health in the North West; member of the funding committee NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme, and Governing Body member Primary Care Contracting.

Rebecca's professional roles have included 2017-2018 President of the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry (BASCD) which is the UK’s professional association for the science, philosophy and practice of promoting the oral health of populations and groups in society; and Oral Health topic expert on NICE Public Health Advisory Committees 2014-2017. She current sits on the NHS Advisory Committee for Resource Allocation.

In 2019 Rebecca was appointed Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee inquiry into dentistry.