Principal Research Associate
Population Health Interventions

Background and experience

Jenna was awarded a Bsc in Environmental Sciences (2006) and PhD (2010) from the University of East Anglia. Her PhD focused on the environmental and psychosocial influences on walking and cycling, using data from the SPEEDY and EPIC-Norfolk studies. She then moved to the MRC Epidemiology Unit to work as the lead quantitative researcher on a large mixed-method evaluation study. She then won an NIHR post-doctoral fellowship (2013 to 2015) which focused on understanding the effects of environmental changes on walking, cycling and physical activity, as well as understanding the mechanisms by which such changes in behaviour are brought about.

She has collaborated with academics from across the globe and provided an expert testimony and submitted evidence to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Programme Development Group for their guidance on promoting walking and cycling and also co-authored the chapter on ‘obesogenic environments’ part of a key British Government Foresight report entitled “Tackling Obesities: Future Choices”.

Current work

Jenna’s research focuses on evaluating environmental and policy interventions, examining patterns and determinants of change in physical activity, and evidence synthesis. She brings a geographical perspective to public health research which includes spatial and equity focused analysis. She has led complex quantitative studies with multiple interacting work packages and qualitative and mixed-method analysis, mostly funded by NIHR. Current and recent examples of research leadership vary in scale and design, and include a feasibility study of a randomised control trial for financial incentives to promote alternatives to the car, and a national evaluation of the schools streets schemes. Team members are all part of the Population Interventions Programme.

Her approach often involves theoretical work on framing and conceptualisation of problems and evidence in new ways, including in her PhD proposing a framework for active travel to more recent work considering intervention mechanisms in evidence synthesis. Her work also involves new method development alongside answering substantial scientific questions. For example, using combinations of activity and GPS devices she developed methods to identify specific bouts of activity and quantify the average time spent in activity by different travel modes and understand behaviour change in the context of interventions. She has also adapted advanced statistical methods (e.g. latent growth curve modelling) to compare trajectories of activity in response to interventions between different population groups.

She supervises PhD students, including current student Caroline Kienast-von Einem. She teaches on modules on the Masters in Population Health Sciences (PHS) at University of Cambridge, and is a course and dissertation supervisor. She has acted as an internal and examiner for PhDs and MScs, including overseas at Aalto, Deakin and Ghent Universities. She is also a member of the NIHR PHR funding committee and Editorial Board for Health & Place and Journal of Physical Activity & Health.

Publications

• MRC Epidemiology Unit publications on Publications Database
• Full list on Google Scholar

Selected publications

• Xiao C, Sinclair N, Saunders L, Panter J. Evaluating the impact of low traffic neighbourhoods in areas with low car ownership: A natural experimental evaluation. J Tran Health (2023) 33:101658
• Peng J, Yu C, Remais JV, Stein A, Liu, Brownson R… Panter J…. James P. Spatial lifecourse epidemiology reporting standards (ISLE-ReSt) statement. Health Place (2020) 61: 102243.
• Panter J, Guell C, Humphreys D, Ogilvie D. Can changing the physical environment promote walking and cycling? A systematic review of what works and how. Health Place (2019) 58:102161. doi: /10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.102161
• Panter J, Mytton O, Sharp S, Brage S, Cummins S, Laverty A, Wijndaele K, Ogilvie D. Using alternatives to the car and risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality. Heart (2018) doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2017-312699.
• Panter J, Ogilvie D. on behalf of the iConnect consortium. Can environmental improvement change the population distribution of walking? Journal of Epidemiology Community Health (2017) doi: 10.1136/jech-2016-208417.
• Humphreys D, Panter J, Ogilvie D. Questioning the application of risk of bias tools in appraising evidence from natural experimental studies: critical reflections on Benton et al. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2017) 14: 49.
• Mytton O, Panter J, Ogilvie D. Longitudinal associations of active commuting with wellbeing and sickness absence. Preventive Medicine (2016) 84: 19-26.
• Brown HE, Atkin A, Panter J, Wong G, Chinapaw M, van Sluijs EMF. Family-based interventions to increase physical activity in children: a systematic review, meta-analysis and realist synthesis. Obesity Reviews (2016) 17, 4, 345-360.
• Panter J, Heinen E, Mackett R, Ogilvie D. Impact of new transport infrastructure on walking, cycling and physical activity. American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2016) 50: e45-e53.
• Guell C, Panter J, Ogilvie D. Walking and cycling to work despite reporting an unsupportive environment: insights from a mixed-method exploration of counter-intuitive findings. BMC Public Health (2013) 13: 497.
• Panter JR, Jones AP, Van Sluijs EM (2008). Environmental determinants of active travel in children: A review and framework for future research. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2008) 5, 34.
• Panter J, Jones AP, Hillsdon M. Equity of access to physical activity facilities in an English city. Preventive Medicine (2008) 46, 4, 303-307.

Research grants

Selected current and previous research grants

• University of Cambridge (£31,058) “Feasibility study of Clean Air Zones in Cambridge”, Aug 2019 – Apr 2020. PI.
• NIHR School for Public Health Research (£548,884) “Evaluating and understanding the environmental and individual interventions to promote active living Title”, Oct 20219 – Aug 2020. PI.
• Medical Research Council (£200,000) “Developing tools for population health improvement (BECCA)”, Jan 2022 – Dec 2023. PI.
• NIHMRC-MRC (£999,087) “Joining Impact models of transport with spatial measures of the Built Environment (JIBE)” May 2020 – May 2024. coI.
• NIHR SPHR (£280,952)“Effects and mechanisms of traffic restriction schemes outside schools: a mixed method study” May 2020 – May 2024. PI.
• UKRI (£618, 927) “AI-enabled targeting of public health interventions through dynamic characterisation of the environment” Oct 2023 – Mar 2025. coI.
• National Research Foundation Singapore (£7,507,797) “HD4 – Health-driven design for cities” Sept 2024- Aug 2029. PI.