Anja Heilmann
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anjaheilmann.bsky.social
Anja Heilmann
@anjaheilmann.bsky.social
420 followers 540 following 17 posts
Associate Professor in Dental Public Health at UCL.
Oral health, health inequalities, life course epidemiology. I also work on the impact of physical punishment on children.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
rich-hurley.bsky.social
Child physical punishment globally: ineffective & harmful. New @bmj.com #Editorial 129 countries, eg England, lack smacking bans. By @anjaheilmann.bsky.social @rebeccalacey.bsky.social @ucliehc.bsky.social LS Holland & ET Gershoff www.bmj.com/content/394/... #ChildHealth #EndCorporalPunishment
July 16, 2026 at 1:42 PM
anjaheilmann.bsky.social
Our @bmj.com editorial sums up why physical punishment should be outlawed everywhere: decades of research shows it harms children in numerous ways, it increases the risk of physical abuse, and it violates children’s human rights. There are no benefits.

@ucliehc.bsky.social @nuffieldfoundation.org
bmj.com The BMJ @bmj.com · Jul 16
"Physical punishment is universally harmful to children and ineffective as discipline."

Children should have the same legal protection from assault as adults
www.bmj.com/content/394/...
July 16, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
ucl-dph.bsky.social
We are receiving national media coverage for the new report, 'Physical punishment and child outcomes in the UK', with Principal Investigator @anjaheilmann.bsky.social

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Smacking children could lead to lower GCSE grades, study suggests
A University College London (UCL) study suggests that smacking children "does no good whatsoever".
www.bbc.co.uk
June 11, 2026 at 12:22 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
ucl-dph.bsky.social
** New report: Physical punishment of children is harmful and must be banned in England and Northern Ireland **

@anjaheilmann.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk @citystgeorges.bsky.social @nuffieldfoundation.org @nspcc.bsky.social

Read the full report here: lnkd.in/eCDNKq5C
June 11, 2026 at 10:22 AM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
sundersays.bsky.social
Most of Britain thinks net migration is still rising — when it has actually fallen by more than three-quarters

From our new 2026 @britishfuture.bsky.social study of public attitudes to immigration, published online here
www.britishfuture.org/britain-thin...
Britain thinks net migration is rising — when it has actually fallen by more than three-quarters - British Future
Findings from British Future’s annual Immigration Attitudes Tracker reveal the extent of public misperceptions on net migration.
www.britishfuture.org
May 20, 2026 at 11:08 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
ucl-dph.bsky.social
We offer two scholarships for students undertaking the MSc in Dental Public Health (one for overseas and one for home students).

Find out about the MSc Dental Public Health Aubrey Sheiham Scholarship, eligibility, and how to apply:
www.ucl.ac.uk/population-h...
May 15, 2026 at 12:18 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
equalise.bsky.social
New research shows that parenting programmes, like SFSC, work in improving parents' mental wellbeing 👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@ucliehc.bsky.social @yvonne-kelly.bsky.social @anjaheilmann.bsky.social @nihr.bsky.social
Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a parenting programme to improve family wellbeing in England (TOGETHER): a multicentre, single-blind, randomised controlled trial
Stark socioeconomic health inequalities exist in the UK, with families from ethnic minority backgrounds disproportionally affected. Robust evidence is…
www.sciencedirect.com
March 25, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
ucl-dph.bsky.social
‼️ Come to study with us! UCL’s internationally renowned MSc in Dental Public Health is the longest-running course of its kind in the UK 👩🏻‍💻 📚

To find out more, book your place at our open event:
www.ucl.ac.uk/population-h...
Graduate Open Events: Public Health and Epidemiology
Explore Master’s degrees in Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Psychology. Join our virtual open events to meet Programme Directors and plan your next career step.
www.ucl.ac.uk
January 30, 2026 at 12:46 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
ucl-dph.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Upstream Interventions to Promote Oral Health and Reduce Oral Health Inequalities: A Scoping Review
Objectives This scoping review aimed to map global evidence on upstream interventions which promote oral health and reduce socioeconomic inequalities in oral health. Methods A review was undertake.....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
ucl-dph.bsky.social
🎙️ PODCAST REWIND 🎙️

Series 2 of our podcast Oral Health Matters is coming soon!

So what better time to take a listen back to series 1, originally published in the Spring of 2024 🎧

Link to full episode in comments

#DentalPublicHealth #Podcasting #AcademicPodcasting #OralHealth #Research
January 27, 2026 at 11:04 AM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
uclnews.bsky.social
Tooth decay has risen among adults in England for the first time in more than 50 years, finds a major survey by @uclpophealthsci.bsky.social academics including Prof George Tsakos and Dr Anja Heilmann, prompting calls for prevention strategies targeting sugar intake
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/de...
‘Alarming’ levels of teeth decay in England
Tooth decay in England is significantly worse than it was 16 years ago, shows a major national survey of England’s adult oral health involving UCL researchers.
www.ucl.ac.uk
December 11, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
nisreenalwan.bsky.social
While the mainstream discussions are depressingly about *how* best to remove and stop immigrants, it’s a revolutionary act nowadays to say that immigration is actually a positive thing and an essential component of a thriving country, so please join me in doing so!
August 28, 2025 at 9:17 AM
anjaheilmann.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Corporal punishment carries ‘multiple risks’ to children’s health, says WHO
An estimated 1.2bn children are subject to this ‘harmful practice’ each year, affecting physical and mental wellbeing, report finds
www.theguardian.com
August 22, 2025 at 11:26 PM
anjaheilmann.bsky.social
www.nspcc.org.uk/about-us/new...
Most parents believe physical punishment of children crosses the line
We’re calling on the government to change the law to end physical punishment once and for all
www.nspcc.org.uk
August 22, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
thelancet.com
What's next for @who.int without US engagement?

In a new podcast episode, Lancet editors reflect on developments at #WHA78, including the pandemic agreement and shifting dynamics in global health leadership.

Listen now 👉 tinyurl.com/7xrhu3rm #LancetVoice
The World Health Assembly, adolescent health, and the pace of innovation - The Lancet Voice
Richard, Jessamy, and Gavin reflect on developments at the 78th World Health Assembly, including the passage of the pandemic agreement and shifting dynamics in global health leadership. What's next fo...
tinyurl.com
June 9, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
endcorppun.bsky.social
Today Lords will debate an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing Bill to end physical punishment in England.

We encourage peers to support this crucial amendment to give every child full protection in law from assault.

It’s time to #EndPhysicalPunishment.
June 9, 2025 at 8:28 AM
anjaheilmann.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My island of strangers: a poem | Michael Rosen
The prime minister warns that immigration could turn Britain into an ‘island of strangers’. Author and poet Michael Rosen responds
www.theguardian.com
May 17, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
tanjabueltmann.net
My letter to the Prime Minister. #immigration
Slightly amended so I can fit this here: I am writing to you as an immigrant who chose to make the UK my home. As someone who is now also a British citizen. And as a German-born historian who understands where the complete normalisation of the far right can end. I write to say: For shame! I first came to the UK in the 1990s for a visit with my grandmother. Objectively, much was backwards here. No mixer taps in the bathroom; awful ‘bread’; and strings had to be pulled to switch on lights. But however I felt about this, my own string had been pulled: I loved this Cool Britannia. It was quite possibly then that I decided that the UK was to be my home. When I arrived to settle here permanently, I made a choice: to contribute my skills, my knowledge—all I have to offer—to this country rather than another one. I am deeply disgusted by your comment today that immigration has done ‘incalculable damage’ to the country. This is the language of the far right. It is insulting, hateful & will fuel xenophobia. And it is just wrong. Migration is a normal part of the human existence. None of us would be where we are without it. Open your fridge and you will see migration. Immigrants help make the UK tick every single day, whether we clean toilets in our hospitals or provide care for the elderly; whether we empty our bins or carry out cancer research. We are mothers, sons-in-law, aunts and uncles, friends, neighbours and colleagues. I ask you not tell me that you do not mean me. I know that you do not—at least not primarily—mean a white woman from Europe who has a PhD. But who do you mean? And, much more importantly, who do you think those racists who were engaged in riots on our streets last summer think you mean? Anti-immigration narratives have defined UK policymaking for the best part of two decades. And fundamentally so. They were the key driver in delivering Brexit, for example, and, as such, have directly limited the rights and opportunities of British citizens. This obsessive focus on immigration as the ‘problem’—that is the real problem. And it is consistently delivering poor outcomes for the UK. Instead of tackling this, you are choosing to consolidate it, sowing divisions along the way. You may point me to polling and tell me that this is what voters want. Do they? I am not surprised at all that over 50% of voters might say they want to see immigration reduced if that is the question they are being asked. What we need to know is what they would answer to the question: “Would you like to see immigration reduced? What this would mean for you and your local community is XYZ.” That is not how surveys can ask questions, but governments absolutely can choose to make policy using such a more informed position. Prime Minister, you continue to talk a lot about making the tough choices. But let’s be clear: setting immigrants up as the ‘other’, as a scapegoat—describing us as a threat ‘pulling the country apart’, a ‘squalid chapter’, a risk that might make the UK an ‘island of strangers’—these are not tough choices at all. These are the easy choices. They are the choices that populists make who have no solutions to the real problems a country faces. What I would like to know, Prime Minister, is what you will do when your policies lead to the implosion of the UK’s Higher Education sector. What you will tell communities when they can no longer provide any care for the elderly. The policies you announced today will not solve anything at all. They will have exclusively negative impacts. For those immediately affected; for our communities; and for our economy. Being pro-immigration—it is progressive, yes, but the much more crucial point is that it is also the most pro-UK policy approach that any politician in the country can pursue. And you are choosing to do the opposite. This, Prime Minister, is the real damage—and it will be very calculable indeed. Tanja Bueltmann
May 12, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
bmj.com
"The bill is the first child centred draft legislation in over a decade, and this opportunity must not be lost."

Amend the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to protect children from assault, @drandrewrowland.bsky.social
www.bmj.com/content/388/...
March 21, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
ucl-dph.bsky.social
👏 Huge congratulations to our brilliant Yanela Aravena Rivas @yanelaaravena.bsky.social who this week passed her PhD with no corrections! 🎓🥳🎉

Her thesis examined the impact of the Chilean governance system on sugar consumption in the country, and her examiners were extremely impressed by her work.
March 23, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
ispcan.bsky.social
40 countries make first-ever joint statement on corporal punishment to the Human Rights Council.👏
🔗 endcorporalpunishment.org/first-hrc-jo...
#endcorporalpunishment
#riseuptoendchildabuse
March 19, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
jessasatomp.bsky.social
The evidence is clear: physical punishment doesn't work, and is instead linked to poorer mental health, substance misuse, antisocial behaviour, and slower cognitive development.

It isn't punishment - it's abuse.

@rcpch.bsky.social @nspcc.bsky.social @barnardos.org.uk @childrenscomm.bsky.social
March 18, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
equalise.bsky.social
The threat of violence to children should no longer be given legal cover. The time for change is now! childofourtimeblog.org.uk/2025/03/phys... @anjaheilmann.bsky.social @yvonne-kelly.bsky.social @nspcc.bsky.social @uclnews.bsky.social @ucl-dph.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk @jessasatomp.bsky.social
Physical punishment harms children’s wellbeing – the time to act is now
Physical punishment is the most common form of violence against children and a major concern from both children’s rights and public health perspectives. The United Nations Committee on the Ri…
childofourtimeblog.org.uk
March 18, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
jessasatomp.bsky.social
Alongside @EllieChowns.bsky.social I have tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing Bill which would introduce equal protection from assault for children. As Prof Andrew Rowland says: "Now is the time for this Victorian-era punishment to go." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Doctors back total ban on smacking children in England
Smacking is legal in some cases in England and Northern Ireland, but is banned in Scotland and Wales.
www.bbc.co.uk
March 6, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Reposted by Anja Heilmann
elliechowns.bsky.social
“Our amendment is simple: children should have the same legal protections from assault as adults.”

Proud to work with Jess Asato MP on a joint op-ed advocating for the abolition of the 'reasonable punishment' defence.

Read our full piece here: www.politicshome.com/thehouse/art...
End the legal loophole for physically punishing children
The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill is a vital piece of legislation that will help ensure all children get the best start in life, driving th...
www.politicshome.com
March 3, 2025 at 11:39 AM