Dr Jo Hickman Dunne

I am a social researcher with a passion for applied, impactful research, co-produced with the communities for whom the research matters.  I have a particular interest in youth development and engagement in education and community provision, and I value the use of creative methodologies, and consideration of emotional and relational connections in my work. I also love working with, and supporting young people to lead, and seek to champion research approaches that support youth voice.

I am currently a Senior Research Fellow working on the NIHR Mental Health Leaders Award to build capacity to undertake applied research exploring mental health inequalities in Cumbria. My primary role is to understand what research is needed most through working with communities in Cumbria, and support University staff to be part of this process too. I have experience of working in third sector infrastructure organisations as well as higher education. 

• British Academy Early Career Researcher Network (2026)
• Fuse: the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health (2026)
• British Education Research Association (BERA) (2024/2025)

• Inequalities and the wider determinants of health, especially in relation to children, young people and families
• Socio-spatial inequalities, and how this intersects with experiences of place
• Co-produced research methodologies
• Empowering research practice

Hickman Dunne, J., Black, L., Anderton, M., Nanda, P., Banwell, E., Butters. L., et al. (2025). Identifying relevant dimensions to the measurement of adolescent social media experience via focus groups with young people. Collabra: Psychology. 11 (1): 129669. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.129669.  

Black, L., O'Brien, A., Davies, J., Anderton, M., Nanda, P., Demkowicz, O., & Hickman Dunne, J. (2025). Adolescents’ Lived Experiences of Mental Health: A Systematic Umbrella Review to Aid Assessment Reform. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/wgb5x_v2  

Davies, J., Cadwallader, S., Black, L., Hickman Dunne, J., & Panayiotou, M. (2025). The representation of adolescent social media use: a systematic review and content analysis of UK newspaper articles. BMC Public Health, 25(1): 3067. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23897-5  

Bjornstad, G., Sonthalia, S., Rouse, B., Freeman, L., Hessami, N., Hickman Dunne, J., & Axford, N. (2024). A comparison of the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural interventions based on delivery features for elevated symptoms of depression in adolescents: A systematic review. Campbell systematic reviews, 20(1), e1376. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1376

Demkowicz, O., & Hickman Dunne, J. (2024), Commentary: Expanding the vision of Registered Reports for qualitative mental health research: A response and extension to ‘Misaligned incentives in mental health research – the case for Registered Reports’, Baldwin (2023). J Child Psychol Psychiatr, 65: 1538-1542.  https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.14039    

Hickman Dunne, J., von Benzon, N, & Whittle, R. (2022). Facebook as a platform for collecting women’s birth stories: Supporting emotional connections between researchers and participants. Emotion, Space & Society, 42: 100863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emospa.2021.100863. 

Conferences 

Demkowicz, O., & Hickman Dunne, J. (2025). Qualitative research and registered reports: an unholy union? [oral presentation] University of Manchester Open Research Conference, 9-10 June 2025. Manchester. 

Hickman Dunne, J. (2025). Mental health research with and for young people: co-producing the Social Media Experience measure 

[poster presentation]. International Association for Youth Mental Health, 18-21 March 2025, Vancouver. 

Hickman Dunne, J. & Black, L. (2024). #So.Me: working with young people in mental health research. [oral presentation]. MRC Adolescent mental Health and the Developing Mind Network event, 24 July 2024, London.