Professor Jane Barlow
Chair in Evidence-Based Intervention and Policy Evaluation
On sabbatical for academic year 2025-26
Professor Jane Barlow
Jane Barlow (DPhil, FFPH Hon) is Professor of Evidence Based Intervention and Policy Evaluation at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford. Jane's main research interest is the role of early parenting in the aetiology of mental health problems, and the evaluation of interventions aimed at improving parenting practices during pregnancy and the postnatal period. She also undertakes research to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at preventing child abuse. She is currently President of AIMH UK, Affiliate Council Representative of the Executive Board of WAIMH, an Associate Editor for the Infant Mental Health Journal, and was a member of PreVAiL (Preventing Violence Across the Lifespan). Jane also delivers a course for professionals supporting families in the early years, Babies in Mind: Why the Parent's Mind Matters, which was developed by the Association for Infant Mental Health (AIMH) and DSPI.
Jane's primary research interest is the role of early life factors such as parenting in the aetiology of mental health problems, and the evaluation of early interventions aimed at improving outcomes for parents and young children, particularly during pregnancy and the postnatal period.
She also undertakes research on the effectiveness of interventions in the field of child protection, and is currently working with the NSPCC to develop a new prebirth pathway to support vulnerable pregnant women, and an intervention for families in which there is domestic abuse. She is also the lead investigator for the national evaluation of the A Better Start (ABS) programme.
