Sheila Beck

Sheila Beck is a Principal Health Adviser in NHS Health Scotland where she is responsible for dealing with issues about how the places in which people live can impact upon health, wellbeing and behaviours and how this can in turn contribute to health inequalities.

Sheila’s role not only involves managing a team of Public Health Advisers who work on a broad range of public health topics, she also leads the issue framing arm of the Good Places, Better Health initiative and participates in the GoWell study, which is evaluating the health impacts of regeneration activity in Glasgow.

Sheila has a wealth of experience and a long standing interest in the links between greenspace and health and is a member of a number of steering groups and reference groups in this area.

Sheila originally trained as a zoologist and embarked upon a career as a scientist studying the malaria parasite. Following research in Glasgow where she gained a PhD, Sheila then moved to Africa for two years. On her return to the UK, Sheila joined the NHS, working first in a hospital and then moving to work in Public Health in 2001.

Sheila was recently awarded Fellowship of the Faculty of Public Health.