Dr Amrit Kaur Purba Senior Research Associate at the Digital Mental Health Group at the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge.

With a diverse background encompassing clinical practice, policy, industry, and academia, Dr Amrit Kaur Purba’s research interests focus on understanding the potential causal relationship between social media use and adolescent health.

Research

Dr. Purba is skilled in advanced statistical and epidemiological methods, with a strong focus on causal inference methodologies applied to observational data. She is committed to critically assessing the evidence surrounding social media use and its impact on adolescent health-risk behaviours. In her work, she advocates for collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals to develop transparent and ethical approaches for accessing detailed user engagement data, ultimately facilitating high-quality research aimed at securing adolescent safety online.

Her research not only addresses existing methodological gaps but also includes targeted studies aimed at informing policy decisions. By quantitatively analysing large-scale longitudinal datasets, she explores the potential causal relationships between various aspects of social media use, adolescent engagement in health-risk behaviours, and resulting health inequalities.

Research Interests

Adolescent Health & Wellbeing

Digital Inclusion

Digital Wellbeing

Social Media

Health Inequalities

Social Determinants of Health

Causal Inference in Observational Data

Online Platform Data Donation

Open Research & Meta-Science

Impact & Recognition

Dedicated to enhancing scientific rigour, Dr. Purba effectively communicates her findings to alleviate public concerns. Her work, supported by national and international funders, charities, and foundations, has been recognised in numerous high-impact, peer-reviewed publications, including the prestigious British Medical Journal. These contributions have significantly influenced health policy and provided guidance to educators and caregivers worldwide.

Dr. Purba plays a crucial role in public health initiatives focused on the impact of social media on adolescent health, actively working to reduce health inequalities. Her expertise has informed the United Nations, 10 Downing Street, various international governments, health organisations, academic institutions, and the general public, helping to leverage social media as a tool for promoting health rather than impeding it.

She has received several prestigious awards, including the Sigma Theta Tau International Honour Society Award and the Royal College of Nursing Foundation Trevor Clay Award, in recognition of her efforts to address health inequalities. Dr. Purba's research and insights have been showcased at numerous UK and international conferences, and she has been featured in prominent media outlets such as the BBC, The Times, Forbes, Independent, and The Scotsman.

UK Anti-Knife Crime Coalition Roundtable at No. 10 Downing Street.

Hosted by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Idris Elba also present.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Technical Consultation Meeting On Social Media and Drug Use Prevention.

Honoured for exemplary work as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford.