I am a qualitative researcher with interests in alcohol industry involvement in science and policy, conflicts of interest, alcohol licensing, and the sociology of risk and uncertainty.
I worked as a social worker with children and families for several years before completing my PhD in sociology in 2018. My experiences as a social worker had a profound impact on my way of thinking about the world, with my thesis exploring how experts make decisions about risk of harm to children. My focus gradually shifted towards the broader, often hidden drivers of health and social inequalities, which was supported by my work at the University of York on the Transformative Research on the Alcohol industry, Policy and Science (TRAPS) research programme, led by Jim McCambridge.
In my current role, I am continuing my work on alcohol industry corporate political activity. This includes the extent to which the industry shapes our thinking about addiction and how public health actors manage conflicts of interest. I also work on studies related to alcohol licensing and no and low alcohol products.
Commercial determinants of health; alcohol industry corporate activity; conflicts of interest; alcohol licensing; sociology of risk and uncertainty; qualitative research methods
SPECTRUM: Shaping Public hEalth poliCies To Reduce IneqUalities and harM
PI: Professor Niamh Fitzgerald
Funded by: Medical Research Council
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Article
Chacon L, Mitchell G & Golder S (2024) The commercial promotion of electronic cigarettes on social media and its influence on positive perceptions of vaping and vaping behaviours in Anglophone countries: A scoping review. Sriram V (Editor) PLOS Global Public Health, 4 (1), Art. No.: e0002736. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002736
Other
Mitchell G, Boniface S, Carters-White L, Fabbri A, van Schalkwyk M, Martin JG & Fitzgerald N (2023) Alcohol industry involvement in research: exploring current norms and policies around in-kind contributions using a recent case study. UK Prevention Research Conference, Edinburgh, 14.11.2023-15.11.2023.
Conference Paper (unpublished)
Mitchell G, Carters-White L, Martin JG & Fitzgerald N (2023) Balancing emotion, transparency and accountability: how to have constructive conversations about COIs. World Health Organization Europe People Before Profits side event at Global Alcohol Policy Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, 23.10.2023.
Conference Proceeding
Mitchell G, O'Donnell R, Cook M, Uny I, Maxwell K, Emslie C & Fitzgerald N Later opening hours for alcohol licensed premises in Scotland amidst economic and social instability: local stakeholder experiences based on semi-structured interviews. In: , Johannesburg, South Africa, 05.06.2023-08.06.2023. 48th Annual Alcohol Epidemiology Symposium of the Kettil Bruun Society.
Commentary
Response to Letter to the Editor by George F. Koob (2023)
Mitchell G (2023) Response to Letter to the Editor by George F. Koob (2023). Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 84 (2), pp. 348-348. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.23-00091
Commentary
Mitchell G (2023) The Alcohol Industry Is No Ordinary Stakeholder: A Response to the Commentaries on Mitchell and McCambridge (2023). Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 84 (2), pp. 339-339. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.23-00090
Article
McCambridge J, Mitchell G, Lesch M, Filippou A, Golder S, Garry J, Bartlett A & Madden M (2023) The emperor has no clothes: a synthesis of findings from the Transformative Research on the Alcohol industry, Policy and Science research programme. Addiction, 118 (3), pp. 558-566. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16058
Conference Paper
Mitchell G & McCambridge J (2023) Interactions Between the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Alcohol Industry: Evidence From Email Correspondence 2013–2020. US Alcohol Action Network, Online. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 84 (1). https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.22-00184
Other
Leading alcohol research funder’s relationship with the alcohol industry: time for change?
Mitchell G (2023) Leading alcohol research funder’s relationship with the alcohol industry: time for change?. [Blog post]. www.ias.org.uk: Institute of Alcohol Studies.
Conference Paper (unpublished)
Mitchell G (2023) Writing satire in Rome: reflections on the methodological challenges of studying alcohol industry political activity. Scottish Alcohol Research Network Early Career Researcher Conference, Edinburgh, 23.01.2023.
Article
Mitchell G & McCambridge J (2023) Interactions Between the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Alcohol Industry: Evidence From Email Correspondence 2013–2020. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 84 (1), pp. 11-26. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.22-00184
Article
Mitchell G & McCambridge J (2022) The ‘snowball effect’: short and long-term consequences of early career alcohol industry research funding. Addiction Research & Theory, 30 (2), pp. 119-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2021.1952190
Other
Chacon L, Mitchell G & Golder S (2022) THE COMMERCIAL PROMOTION OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS INFLUENCE ON VAPING INITIATION AND POSITIVE PERCEPTIONS OF VAPING IN ANGLOPHONE COUNTRIES: A SCOPING REVIEW PROTOCOL. [Preprint] Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Other
Mitchell G & McCambridge J (2022) How do we deal with a problem like the alcohol industry? Four lessons on how to protect science based on recent study. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad-ft.07.11.2022-6
Other
Mitchell G (2022) The alcohol industry is everywhere? Researcher experiences of industry monitoring, surveillance, and legal threats. [Blog post].
Article
McCambridge J & Mitchell G (2022) The Views of Researchers on the Alcohol Industry’s Involvement in Science: Findings from an Interview Study. European Addiction Research, 28 (4), pp. 267-274. https://doi.org/10.1159/000522603
Article
Mitchell G & McCambridge J (2022) The Ubiquitous Experience of Alcohol Industry Involvement in Science: Findings From a Qualitative Interview Study. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 83 (2), pp. 260-266. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2022.83.260
Website Content
We need to talk about alcohol industry involvement in science
Mitchell G (2022) We need to talk about alcohol industry involvement in science. Alcohol Health Alliance [Blog post] 11.03.2022. https://ahauk.org/we-need-to-talk-about-alcohol-industry-involvement-in-science/
Article
Mitchell G & McCambridge J (2022) Recruitment, risks, rewards and regrets: Senior researcher reflections on working with alcohol industry social aspects organisations. Drug and Alcohol Review, 41 (1), pp. 27-35. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13342
Article
Translating risk: how social workers’ epistemological assumptions shape the way they share knowledge
Mitchell G & Demir I (2021) Translating risk: how social workers’ epistemological assumptions shape the way they share knowledge. Health, Risk & Society, 23 (1-2), pp. 17-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2021.1888892
Article
Alcohol Industry Involvement in the Moderate Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health Trial
Mitchell G, Lesch M & McCambridge J (2020) Alcohol Industry Involvement in the Moderate Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health Trial. American Journal of Public Health, 110 (4), pp. 485-488. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2019.305508
Conference Proceeding
Mitchell G, Lesch M & McCambridge J Showing “the J curve in all its glory”: exploring alcohol industry influence on the Moderate Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health (MACH) trial. In: 45th Annual Alcohol Epidemiology Symposium of the Kettil Bruun Society, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 03.06.2019-07.06.2019.
Book Review
Mitchell G (2019) Book Review: Mekada Julia Graham Reflective Thinking in Social Work: Learning from Student Narratives. Review of: Graham Mekada JuliaReflective Thinking in Social Work: Learning from Student Narratives, London: Routledge, 2017. 142 pp. ISBN 9781138779013. Critical Social Policy, 39 (1), pp. 153-155. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261018318808405c
Book Chapter
Moving from gut feeling to evidence: the case of social work
Mitchell G (2015) Moving from gut feeling to evidence: the case of social work. In: Medicine, Risk, Discourse and Power. 1 ed. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Medicine-Risk-Discourse-and-Power/Chamberlain/p/book/9780367597641
