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AffiliationRoom numberTelephone
Principal of College of St Hild and St Bede +44 (0) 191 33 48572
Principal of College of St Hild and St Bede in the Department of Sociology  
Member of the Centre for Medical Education Research  

Biography

Simon joined the Sociology Department in 2019. He had previously worked at Newcastle University and between 2014 and '17 was Head of the School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health at Durham. In his early career he taught in secondary and further education before occupying advisory and management positions in health promotion targeting young people. The focus of this work, on HIV/Aids prevention and sexual health promotion has underpinned his academic career. His Masters degree involved empirical research into the dance and drug cultures of the period, HIV/Aids prevention for young people and gender, sexuality and health. An increasing interest in the relational dimensions of young people’s experience was reflected in his doctoral research which explored teenagers’ experiences of being in love.

He has worked on a number of studies and evaluations focusing on various aspects of young people’s sexual attitudes and lifestyles. He was a Research Fellow in the Department of Sexually Transmitted Diseases at University College London and worked on the RIPPLE study – assessing the impact of peer-led sex education targeting young people and continues to research and write about gender, sexuality and sexual health with a specific interest in the experiences of and interventions with boys and young men.

These substantives topical interests are coupled to a commitment to educating people about health including supporting health professionals and groups and communities to identify and address their needs. In his time at UCL Simon was involved in supporting medical students who initiated their own programme of peer-led community-based sexual health promotion and was involved in establishing a similar programme at St George’s Medical School.

Throughout his career Simon has contributed to under- and post-graduate teaching as well as training programmes for professionals in health, welfare and education. He offers to supervision to postgraduate research students in fields cognate to his own and mentors Post-doctoral researchers. He also contributes to a variety of national and international expert groups, advisory committees and conferences, is a regular reviewer for the ESRC, NIHR, MRC and other major funders as well supporting from the Board one of the world’s most effective charitable information providers around HIV/Aids – AVERT and the Boys Development Project. Simon Co-chairs the UK’s national network of Behavioural and Social Scientists Teaching in medicine (BeSST).

Research interests

  • The sexual attitudes and behaviour of young people
  • Sexual health promotion and education
  • Sexuality and gender, especially young masculinities
  • The social and cultural context of emotional experience

Research groups

  • Health and Social Theory

Esteem Indicators

Publications

Authored book

Chapter in book

Conference Paper

  • Forrest,S. & Russell, A. (2011), Linking community placement to Tomorrows Doctors’ outcomes for public health,, Public Health Education in Medical Schools. Guys Medical School, Guys Medical School.
  • Forrest, S. (2010), Heterosexual young men in love: the role of paternal influences on expectations and experiences of intimate relationships with young women, Questioning Maculinities. Open University, Open University.
  • Forrest, S. (2010), Young men in love: Little cultural worlds and emotions, Emotions Seminar Series. Edinburgh University: Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, 24th February Edinburgh University, Centre for Research on Families and Relationships.
  • Forrest, S. (2009), The production of young sexualities: the role played by images and imagery of the body in health and sexual educational texts, Taking the Body Seriously’ Association for Medical Humanities. University of Durham.
  • Russell, AJ & Forrest, SP (2009), Learning to doctor: the community placement as a site for developing medical students’ understanding of the socio-cultural dimensions of health and healthcare, C-SAP Annual Conference Roles, Rights and Responsibilities: Negotiating Relationships. Jury’s Inn Hotel, Birmingham, England., Jury's Inn Hotel, Birmingham.

Edited book

Journal Article

Newspaper/Magazine Article

  • Kendall,K, Collett,T, de longh,A, Forrest,S, Kelly,M & Harden,J (2020). Does covid-19 offer opportunities for medical students to apply sociology to clinical practice? theBMJOpinion

Other (Print)

  • Wight, D. & Forrest, S. (2010). CRFR Briefing Paper 50: The Quality of Young People’s Heterosexual Relationships.

Report

Supervision students