Trustees

Jim McManus is a Chartered Psychologist, Fellow of the British Psychological Society, a registered Public Health Specialist, Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and National Director of Health and Wellbeing for Wales. He is also Chair of the Prison Advice and Care Trust, a charity working to provide support services for prisoners and their families. Jim is an Honorary Visiting Professor at the University of Hertfordshire and an Honorary Visiting Senior Lecturer in the Division of Population Health Sciences at the University of Bristol. He was recently President of the Association of Directors of Public Health. He is a Trustee of St Joseph’s Hospice, London.

Jim has been working on the relationships between psychology and public health for some years. He was one of the co-authors of the England Strategy, created a behavioural science unit in local government and produced a series of resources applying psychology to public health ranging from trauma response to engagement with services. He has worked in drugs and alcohol, mental health, suicide prevention, sexual health, HIV and health protection. He has a strong interest in leadership and its applications and is often asked to lead development sessions on leadership for public health specialists and NGOs. In 2022 he was awarded a Doctor of Science Honoris Causa by the University of Hertfordshire and Fellowship of the International Society of Science and Religion.

Jim has worked across commercial, NGO, charity and public sector roles.

Aileen currently serves as Senior Clinical Advisor and Inspector for the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), and as Deputy Chief Pharmacist for Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust.  Previously, she was awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship 2024/25 and was appointed to the coveted role of Chief Pharmaceutical Officers (CPhO) Clinical Fellow in 2021/22. Aileen is passionate about clinical leadership and management and has a broad range of clinical experience from previous strategic roles in arm’s length bodies, regulation, integrated care systems, community pharmacy and London teaching hospitals. Aileen holds a master’s degree in clinical pharmacy and is a certified independent prescriber. In her role as a Behavioural Science and Public Health Network (BSPHN) Trustee, Aileen is endeavoring to expand the reach of the network to a broader range of healthcare professionals.

Michelle Constable is a Chartered Health Psychologist and the Head of the Behaviour Change Unit at Hertfordshire County Council. She provides strategic leadership, both locally and nationally, on the application of behavioural and social science across local authorities, leading on embedding behavioural science in practice to improve population outcomes. Michelle is a co-founder and Trustee of the Behavioural Science and Public Health Network (BSPHN) and Chair of the national Behaviour Change Leads Group. She is also a lead author of the Public Health England strategy “Improving People’s Health: Applying behavioural and social sciences to improve population health and wellbeing in England” (2018) and a member of the Strategy Oversight Group.

Shanara Abdin is a Health Psychologist working in Public Health with extensive experience across the breadth of improving population health. She is passionate about improving health and wellbeing through behaviour change and applied practice. Shanara strategically leads and develops complex programmes aimed at reducing health inequalities, with a strong focus on inclusive and culturally informed approaches. Her longstanding involvement with BSPHN (from student member to trustee) reflects her commitment to championing behavioural science as a driver for positive change. As a trustee, she supports strategic direction and the integration of behavioural science into public health systems. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health and Associate Fellow for the British Psychological Society, and teaches on Masters in Public Health and Masters in Health Psychology courses.