Courtney McNamara is a key member of the HiNEWS project, who is currently working in the Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research (CHAIN) at NTNU in Norway. November 29, Courtney McNamara was awarded the Norwegian FRIPRO Younger Researchers grant for her project “Trade, Labour Markets and Health”, which is the most prestigious, competitive, and generous research grant in Norway.
The FRIPRO funding scheme promotes scientific quality at the forefront of international research, boldness in scientific thinking and innovation, and careers for young research talents. FRIPRO is an open, national competitive arena that covers all fields of research. FRIPRO also contributes to strengthen Norway’s national knowledge base to meet future challenges within industry and the society in general. Grants are typically awarded up till NOK 8 million (EUR 800 000).
For the next 4 years, Courtney will be working on bringing together two prominent research areas in public health assisted by a PhD student in CHAIN. The first is focused on the health impacts of trade, while the second is focused on the importance of social protection for health. Her project seeks to generate new knowledge about how trade impacts population health through labour market and social protection pathways.
“I’m honoured to have been awarded funding under FRIPRO’s Young Research Talents. The impact of international trade on labour market conditions like employment and wage levels has generated heated public debate. In public health scholarship, these conditions are associated with important health outcomes. Thus far, however, there has been little investigation into how trade can impact health through labour market pathways. The award from FRIPRO will allow me not only to begin to fill this research lacuna but also to establish my own research team in doing so. Findings from this work will address an important global health issue which has thus far remained largely unexamined and also help to position health inside critical economic and public debates where it is typically underrepresented.” Courtney McNamara, HiNEWS