Project team

Principal Investigator

Better Regulation for Better Health is led by Dr Eleanor Brooks (University of Edinburgh, UK) as part of a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship. Dr Brooks is a Lecturer in Health Policy and has a background in political science and international law. Her research focuses on EU health governance, including the role of EU institutions and other actors in health, the dynamics of integration and Europeanisation in the field of health, and the implications for health of key governance architectures, such as the European Semester. Eleanor is co-coordinator of the EU Health Governance Network, scientific advisor to the European Public Health Alliance and an alumni of the Young Forum Gastein.

Co-Investigator

Dr Ollie Bartlett is an Assistant Professor in Law at Maynooth University, Ireland. He specialises in risk regulation, with a particular interest in the regulation of health risks. He currently serves on the Editorial Team of the European Journal of Risk Regulation and is a Consultant to the World Health Organization on alcohol policy.

Research Fellow

Dr Kathrin Lauber is a postdoctoral Research Fellow on the Better Regulation for Better Health project.  Her research interests lie within the field of the commercial determinants, with a particular focus on the intersection between commercial power, public health policy, and governance. Her Doctoral research at the University of Bath explored industry interference with obesity policy across global, national, and sub-national levels of governance. She also has an interest in investigative research methods and is a Contributing Editor for the knowledge exchange platform Tobacco Tactics.

Project Collaborator

The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) is Europe’s leading NGO alliance advocating for better health. EPHA is a member-led organisation, made up of more than 90 public health NGOs, patient groups and health professionals from across the continent. With the goal of improving health and reducing health inequalities, EPHA brings together the public health community to build capacity and facilitate change, and to advocate for a Europe whose policies and practices contribute to good health.

Project Advisory Group

The project is supported by an advisory group.

Prof Jeff Collin, Professor of Global Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh. Prof Collin has extensive experience in global health governance, with a particular emphasis on the role of corporate actors, as well as engagement with national governments, civil society and international organisations.

Dr Milka Sokolović, Secretary General of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA). Following a PhD in Medicine at the University of Amsterdam and prior experience in research and leadership, Dr Sokolović joined EPHA in 2021. She acts as a navigator, a vision setter, initiator and energiser at the intersection between EPHA’s Team, Board, and Membership, as well as forging external alliances and partnerships for equitable solutions to Europe’s public health challenges.

Prof Katherine Smith, Professor of Public Health Policy at the University of Strathclyde. Prof Smith has worked for more than a decade on how expert knowledge is constructed, translated and used in policy settings, particularly for issues relating to public health and inequalities, and how corporate actors seek to influence EU and EU member state policies.

Project team