Nicole Holt

Dr. Nicole Holt is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health and Wellbeing at CCCU, within the School of Allied and Public Health Professions.

I am a Senior Lecturer in Public Health and Wellbeing at Canterbury Christ Church University, within the School of Allied and Public Health Professions. I bring diverse experience from my previous roles in local government, the charity sector, and the care industry. I also serve as the academic Link Tutor for LSC, where I was the lead proposer for their recent revalidation, and as the recruitment lead for our Public Health team.

My research contributions have spanned a variety of topics, from supporting children with additional needs to the innovative introduction of therapy dogs into courtroom settings. Alongside my individual research projects, I am currently collaborating with a national charity to explore the support available to former Jehovah's Witnesses. Together with Miles Greenford, I am investigating the concept of ‘Inspiring Spiritual Health Responsibly,’ focusing on the symbiotic relationship between natural environments and the promotion of spiritual health. Additionally, in collaboration with Dr. James Murphy, I am studying religious and spiritual coping strategies across different populations.

I lead a team originally founded by Dr. Maria Stein, which examines the factors influencing Occupational Therapy (OT) students’ readiness to engage with various teaching and learning methods. Beyond my academic work, I am also the creator and founder of the podcast Passion in Public Health.

My academic achievements have been recognised through several prestigious awards, including the David Steers Award and the Dean of Canterbury’s Prize for Christian Theology. Since joining Canterbury Christ Church University, I have been nominated annually for the Golden Apple Award.

My research interests include social prescribing, spirituality, pet therapy, and employability.

I have teaching involvement in the following courses/modules:

BSc/BA Health Foundation Year
BSc (Hons) Public Health
BSc (Hons) Mental Health and Wellbeing
BSc (Hons) Public Health and Lifestyle Science
BSc (Hons) Public Health and Business Management
MSc Global Public Health (dissertation supervision)

I am currently module lead for the following courses:

Level 0: Wider Determinants of Health
Level 4: Contemporary Health and Lifestyle Issues
Level 5: Employability and Public Health
Level 5: Social Prescribing
Level 6: Relationships and Sex Education

Modules I have previously taught on:

Level 0: Introduction to Social and Environmental Aspects of Health and Wellbeing (Module Leader)
Level 4: Communicating Health Information (Module Leader)
Level 4: Key Concepts in Health and Wellbeing (Module Leader)
Level 4: Public Health and Team Skills (Module Leader)
Level 4: Personal Academic Development
Level 4: Major Health and Lifestyle issues
Level 6: Mental Health, Culture, and Society

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Research interests & Supervison

Do you want to do a research degree? Are you interested in Medicine, Health and Social Care or related topics? Then I would be pleased to hear from you.

A Stepping Stone Towards the Implementation of ‘Opt-Out DNARs’: A Mixed Methods Study. Researcher(s): Ms Sophie Faulkner. Supervisor(s): Dr Luke Ewart, Dr Nicole Holt, Professor Eleni Hatzidimitriadou. [Postgraduate Research Project]
A study of health and care profession student experiences in the transition from undergraduate level studies to post graduate study.. Researcher(s): Miss Jeannette Head. Supervisor(s): Dr Nicole Holt, Professor Janet Melville-Wiseman. [Postgraduate Research Project]
Addressing healthcare inequalities: Analysing maternal and reproductive health services and utilisation in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. Researcher(s): Mr Obasanjo Bolarinwa. Supervisor(s): Professor Julie Balen, Dr Nicole Holt, Professor Eleni Hatzidimitriadou. [Postgraduate Research Project]

Conference Presentations

Conference Paper “Shame and Guilt: Exploring How Gender Affects the Experiences of Former Jehovah's Witnesses” Gender and Religious Exit: Moving Away from Faith Conference. Collaborative Project. November 2023.

Exploring How ex-JWs Construct New Identities and Worldviews After Leaving Religion’ paper presented at the Non-religion and Secularity Research Network (NSRN) Conference. June 2023 (Collaborative project).

‘A systematised review of the Spiritual but Not Religious (SBNR) Population and Public Health Outcomes’ paper presented at the International Network for the Study of Spirituality (INSS) Conference. May 2023.

‘Coping with Challenging Life Events: A Qualitative Research Synthesis Exploring Religious and Spiritual Coping’ paper presented at the British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR) conference. August 2022. (Collaborative project).

‘Promoting Resilience in Occupational Therapy Education, a Scoping Literature Review’ paper presented at the COTEC-ENOTHE Congress. September 2021. (Collaborative project).

‘Spiritual Experiences and Health: Perceived effects of spirituality on the health of those who identify as Spiritual but Not Religious (SBNR) in the UK?’ Religious Experience Research Centre Conference. July 2019.

Craft and Techniques Tips for all Writing Genres’ workshop presented at the MeCCSA PNG conference at Canterbury Christ Church University. July 2018.‘How Spirituality Influences some People’s Health’ paper presented at the Spirituality and Mental Health Conference at Manchester University. July 2017.

‘God`s Pack: ‘Transcending Conventional Theology and Wellbeing’ paper presented at the Arts and Humanities Conference at Canterbury Christ Church University. June 2017.

‘Spirituality and Peoples Wellbeing’ paper presented at the Interprofessional Education: Sharing Research and Practice Conference at Canterbury Christ Church University. January 2017.

‘Wild Places and Healthy Spaces’ paper presented at the British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR) conference. September 2016.

'Creating Gold Standards Animal Rescue Charities.' Presented at The Festival of Community Psychology: Creativity Collaboration and Community. November 2015.‘Concept Analysis of Spirituality’ paper presented at ‘Spirituality in the 21st Century’ Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. March 2015.

‘How dog Ownership Impacts People’s Health and Wellbeing.’ Presented at Canterbury Christ Church Health and Wellbeing Conference. May 2014.