Michael graduated from New York University (NYU) in 2019 with a BSc in Media, Culture and Communication. He continued his studies at the University of Westminster where he received an MA in Cultural and Critical Studies. Throughout his coursework, Michael explored how the phenomenon of distance running can be understood through media and cultural frameworks.
Michael is an avid runner and has worked across the endurance industry including at the non-profit New York Road Runners (NYRR) and the running race organiser Virgin Sport. Michael aims to build on his academic and professional background to promote diversity and inclusivity in fitness.
Research
Research Title: How can community health and wellbeing programmes engage lower socioeconomic groups more effectively?: Learning from parkrun’s outreach initiative
Parkrun has recently invested in opportunities to engage lower socioeconomic groups (LSEGs) in the context of growing health inequalities across the UK; however, parkrun lacks an evidence base for such action. This project aims to understand how parkrun can more effectively engage LSEGs, while in the process building an evidence-base to inform broader policies and programmes that address health inequalities related to lifestyle and wellbeing behaviours.