Royal Holloway, University of London is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Alex Palombi as Head of the new Department of Health Studies, with a start date of 2 August 2021.

The Department of Health Studies will be an exciting addition to the School of Life Sciences and the Environment at Royal Holloway, alongside existing departments of Biological Sciences, Earth Sciences, Geography and Psychology.

Head of School, Professor Tamar Pincus commented,

“I’m very pleased to welcome Professor Alex Palombi to lead the new department. Health Studies represents a major strategic investment in an area of growing student demand and builds on established areas of teaching and research excellence allied to health, wellbeing and the environment at Royal Holloway."

Professor Alex Palombi will be closely involved with all aspects of development, and will bring considerable experience from her previous appointments in health and social wellbeing at the University of the West of England.

Alex Palombi commented,

“I am delighted, proud and honoured to be joining Royal Holloway as Head of the new Department of Health Studies.  We have a unique opportunity to address the equity issues in our global community by creating an interdisciplinary learning environment which promotes the value of good health.   Our vision is to develop an ambitious department which is well connected and integrated into close and far communities. Our students will become leaders, innovators and influencers across boundaries to build healthy and resilient societies. I look forward to working with colleagues and students from the university and hopefully soon meeting up face to face.”

The new department is expected to welcome its first postgraduate students in September 2022, and undergraduate students from 2023.

A range of flexible degree courses around supporting healthier populations and healthier environments are being designed, building on world-class research and interdisciplinary collaborations between Health Studies and a number of departments and schools at Royal Holloway.