About
Lucy Green is a researcher, educator and public engager in the medical science field of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) concerning the impact that the first 1000 days of our development has on chances of lifelong health.
She works with national and international learned societies to advocate for the physiological sciences, with a specific interest in counteracting the effects of a poor developmental start on non-communicable disease by raising awareness of the first 1000 days of our lives with the public, health professionals and policy makers.
She actively promotes a public understanding of science by innovating engagement tools for science festivals, and devising health-science experiences for young people which enable them to question experts about big health issues. She is co-author of a new Cambridge University Press book 'What Makes a Person? Secrets of Our First 1000 Days'.
As Head of Engagement in the Faculty of Medicine she works to support and recognise public engagement and involvement skills, and to foster connections with diverse communities of publics about medical research and education.
Research
Research groups
Research interests
- Fetal physiology and nutrition
- Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)
- Equality and diversity in research, education and public engagement
Current research
Lucy Green has 30 years of physiology research leadership in the field of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease with UKRI (BBSRC), Industry (QinetiQ) and Charity (Gerald Kerkut Trust) funding. She is a fetal physiologist with expertise in the cardiovascular, metabolism and growth adaptations the unborn baby makes in response to changes in oxygen and other nutrients from the mother.
Building on her extensive public engagement in this area of science and the publication of a popular science book (2022, Cambridge University Press), she leads qualitative research into the public perception of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease concepts.
She collaborates on two University of Southampton funded arts-based public engagement research projects which are exploring place-based inequalities in trust and satisfaction in healthcare (with Lavery, Teeling and Baverstock) and women’s perceptions and experiences around key lifecourse reproductive health issues (with Smith, Woods-Townsend and Pincus).
Lucy led a Faculty research group (2021-22) to conduct qualitative research on ‘Building a culture of equality for all ethnicities in the Faculty of Medicine’ which included the voices of public participants and created a six-point action plan based on perception and experiences connected discrimination on the basis of race.
Research projects
Completed projects
Publications
Teaching
Lucy Green delivers a variety of teaching to undergraduate science, postgraduate and medical students in the area of:
PHYSIOLOGY
- Module BIOL 3044/6040 - Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (Third year module, Biological Sciences)
- Undergraduate Medicine - BM5 year 1: cardiorespiratory physiololgy tutorials; lectures on cardiovascular physiology and Developmental Origins of Health and Disease; ; BM4 year 1: lecture on Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
- Undergradulate nursing, Global and Public Health module, on Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
- At University College London – MSc Women’s Health lecture on ‘Fetal cardiovascular responses to maternal nutrition’
CORE RESEARCH SKILLS
- Masters in Medical Science – Journal Club and paper reading skills
- Postgraduate Induction – Journal Club and paper reading skills
COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
- MEDI6258 postgraduate taught module, new from 2025, 'Engaging and involving the public with your science'
- Public Understanding of Science lecture, as part of Faculty of Medicine Postgraduate Induction
- Public Engagement Lecture, as part of 'Widening Access' Special Study Unit for year 3 Batchelor of Medicine students
- Comms and Engagement training session, as part of Nutrition and Health Module, Masters in Public/Global Health
RESEARCH PROJECT SUPERVISION
Supervision of undergraduate medical student, Masters in Medical Science and postgraduate research projects.
External roles and responsibilities
Biography
Lucy Green obtained a BSc in Physiology (1991, King’s College London) then worked as a research assistant with Professor Peter Nathanielsz (1991-2) at Cornell University USA before completing a PhD in Fetal Physiology (1996, University College London). She undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at The University of Western Ontario (Lawson Research Institute, 1996-1998) before becoming a Lecturer at University College London (Obstetrics and Gynaecology). In 2000 she took up a position at The University of Southampton where she is now an Associate Professor. Lucy is Head of Engagement in the Faculty of Medicine (from 2020) and works to develop Faculty skills in public engagement and co-produced/participatory research, and to recognise the contribution of staff, students and collaborating members of public.
Lucy is a specialist in the field of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), with 25 years of research project leadership, PhD supervision, and as an educator of undergraduate science and medical students in physiology and the science underlying DOHaD. In 2012 she won a Vice Chancellor’s Teaching award for innovation. She teaches and lectures on public engagement and works with learned societies such as the International Society for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease and the Physiological Society to advocate for the physiological sciences and DOHaD medical science with the general public, health professionals and policy makers.
Since 2017 Lucy has innovated public engagement schemes and science festivals activities (University Innovation Award, 2017), and devised health-science experiences for young people which enable them to question experts about big health issues. In 2018 she was appointed as a British Science Association Media Fellow (at BBC Radio Science Unit and Science Online News). In 2019 she became a Fellow of The Royal Society of Biology won their Senior Investigator Outreach and Engagement Award. She is co-author of a new Cambridge University Press book 'What Makes a Person? Secrets of Our First 1000 Days' (published Nov 2022).
Prizes
- British Science Association Media Fellowship (2018)
- Vice Chancellor's Teaching award (2012)
- PhD Fetal Physiology (1996)
- Wyeth-Ayerst Award of Excellence (1997)
- Wyeth-Ayerst Award of Excellence (1998)
- Fellowship of The Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) (2019)
- Royal Society of Biology Senior Investigator Outreach and Engagement Award (2019)
- Innovation Award, Public Engagement with Research (2017)
- British Science Association Media Fellowship (2018)
- Vice Chancellor's Teaching award (2012)
- PhD Fetal Physiology (1996)
- Wyeth-Ayerst Award of Excellence (1997)
- Wyeth-Ayerst Award of Excellence (1998)
- Fellowship of The Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) (2019)
- Royal Society of Biology Senior Investigator Outreach and Engagement Award (2019)
- Innovation Award, Public Engagement with Research (2017)