Prof Helen Atherton

BSc, MSc, MPH, PhD.
2017 organising committee, former executive team member, Early Career Academic Group Lead 2012-2016
University of Southampton

HoDs Secretary (2025- ), Previous early careers representative (2013-2016) and General Executive Committee member (2012-2016). 

I am Professor of Primary Care Research at the University of Southampton and co-Head of the Primary Care Research Centre at Southampton. My research focuses on digital primary care and the interface with access to primary care, exploring digital access through to delivery of healthcare using remote approaches. My methodological expertise is in qualitative research, mixed methods and review methodology.  I am currently vice Chair of the Scientific Foundation Board at the Royal College of General Practitioners. I have a particular interest in encouraging capacity building in academic primary care and currently supervise an NIHR In Practice Fellow and PhD students both in the UK and based in Europe.

I am a Health Services Researcher with a PhD in Primary Care Health Services Research (Imperial College), Master of Public Health (Imperial College), MSc in Biological Anthropology and BSc in Ecology (University of Durham). I have worked in academic primary care research since 2005.

Articles on this site

Heads of Department (HODs) group
10 Sep 2025

https://sapc.ac.uk/file/twitter-handles-2019-pdf The heads of departments of general practice and primary care in medical schools in the UK and Ireland

Early careers networking event
27 May 2016

19th May, University of Manchester

The SAPC early careers working group held their first networking and career development day on the 19th of May, kindly hosted by the University of Manchester.