Dr. Vincent La Placa is Associate Professor of Public Health and Policy and Associate Head of School for Student Success in the School of Human Sciences, University of Greenwich. His main areas of specialization are health and wellbeing; design and implementation of health-related behaviour change segmentations; and social theory and research methodologies. He previously worked as a Research Consultant for the Department of Health (DH) [now DHSC], where he managed the qualitative strand of the “Healthy Foundations (HF) Life-stage Segmentation Model”: one of the largest pieces of qualitative research funded by UK Government.

Dr. La Placa, as Associate Head of the School for Student Success, is also strategically responsible for maximising student academic outcomes and learning and teaching experiences across the School of Human Sciences; and has previously presented research on international student recruitment to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Prior to this, he was a Research Manager for a leading UK student accommodation provider, where he designed strategic research and insight, to enhance the student experience of accommodation and its impact upon student outcomes.

Dr. La Placa has presented research at a variety of national and international conferences and is also an Honorary Fellow of the Eurasia Teaching and Research Association (TERA). He co-edited the book, “Wellbeing: Policy and Practice”, with Anneyce Knight and Allan McNaught, published in 2014. He has recently co-edited the book, “Social Science Perspectives on Global Public Health”, with Julia Morgan, published in 2023. His forthcoming book (also co-edited with Julia Morgan), “Contemporary Issues in Health and Social Care Policy and Practice:  A Comparative Introduction across OECD Countries” is due out in 2024/25 and provides a wide-ranging focus upon health and social care practice and systems across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).