Dr Justine Gallagher

Assistant Professor

Department: Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing

Dr Justine Gallagher is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communities and Education. She teaches on the BA (Hons) Childhood and Early Years Studies programme, leads modules, and supervises undergraduate dissertation projects. She is also year lead for second-year students on the programme. Justine is passionate about experiential learning and employability, supporting students with fieldwork and placement opportunities as part of their studies.

Her professional background includes working in Sure Start Children’s Centres, where she gained extensive experience supporting families within multi-professional teams.

Justine’s research is situated within the broad theme of motherhood, with particular interests in breastfeeding, poverty, genealogy, and family history. Her PhD explored the infant feeding stories of new mothers in Newcastle upon Tyne. She is currently developing research that draws on archival and historical perspectives on motherhood, with a specific focus on the late Victorian period. This work explores how maternal identities and practices were shaped in relation to children admitted to the Newcastle Ragged and Industrial School, examining the intersections of poverty, education, and parenting during this era. She also has a growing interest in children's literature and its role in shaping early understandings of family and identity.

In addition to her academic and research roles, Justine is one of the School's Transnational Education Coordinator for both the BA (Hons) Childhood and Early Years Studies and BA (Hons) Guidance and Counselling programmes. She supports the delivery of these programmes through the school's partnership with Kaplan in Singapore.

Campus Address

Room G210, Coach Lane Campus East

Email Justine

@JusGal

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Justine’s research interests centre around families, parents, and motherhood, with a particular focus on themes such as infant feeding, representations of mothers in children's literature, historical perspectives on motherhood, genealogy, and family history. Her doctoral research explored mothers’ stories of infant feeding in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Infant feeding choices among Panamanian mothers: A qualitative study, De La Cruz, D., Lee, R., Gallagher, J. 1 Oct 2023, In: Food Science and Nutrition
Infant Feeding in Newcastle upon Tyne, England: Stories, Choice and Influence, Gallagher, J. 12 Jun 2017, Nutrition and Nurture in Infancy and Childhood: Bio-Cultural Perspectives
Women's Stories of Infant Feeding in Newcastle upon Tyne, Gallagher, J. 13 Jun 2017, Begin Before Birth Conference
Women's Stories of Infant Feeding in the North East of England, Gallagher, J. 6 Jul 2016, Northumbria University Postgrad Conference 2016
Women's Stories of Infant Feeding in the North East of England, Gallagher, J. 7 Jun 2016, 1001 Critical Days, So What?
Using a biographical methodological approach to explore infant feeding choices in Newcastle upon Tyne, England., Gallagher, J. 26 Aug 2015, 12th Conference of the European Sociological Association
Using a biographical narrative methodology to listen to women’s ‘infant feeding stories’ in Newcastle upon Tyne, Gallagher, J., James, D. Dec 2015, In: Maternal & Child Nutrition
Using a biographical narrative methodology to listen to women's 'infant feeding stories' in Newcastle upon Tyne, England., Gallagher, J. 12 Jun 2015, Nutrition and Nurture in Infancy and Childhood: Bio-Cultural Perspectives
The Wider Family Learning Nexus: “It’s still all to play for!”, Goss, J., Gallagher, J., McKenna, L. 14 Mar 2013, Improving Lives: the power of football
The wider family learning nexus: a social impact evaluation study through football, Goss, J., Gallagher, J., McKenna, L. 29 Mar 2012, North East Universities (3 Rivers Consortium) Learning and Teaching Conference