Dr Alejandra Letelier

Dr Alejandra Letelier is a researcher and lecturer specialising in social determinants of health, social inequalities, and the life course, with a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health.

[email protected]

Background

Dr Alejandra Letelier is a Social Epidemiologist working within a life course framework, with a particular focus on social determinants of health and health inequalities. She holds a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health from UCL, where she used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), and MSc degree in Dental Public Health from UCL.

Her research explores life course health outcomes, young carers, oral health inequalities, digital determinants of health, and the intersection between human rights and health. She has experience working with major UK and international survey datasets, including the Millennium Cohort Study, Understanding Society, and the Mexican Health and Ageing Study.

Spoken Languages

Spanish

Research interests

• Social determinants of health
• Health inequalities
• Life course epidemiology
• Young carers
• Caregiving across the life course
• Social mobility and health
• Digital determinants of health
• Human rights and health
• Longitudinal data analysis (UK and international)
• Ageing and wellbeing
• Structural and social drivers of vulnerability
• Intersection between health and gender
• Oral health inequalities

Areas of research supervision

• Health inequalities and social determinants of health
• Health and gender
• Ageing and wellbeing
• Carers and health inequalities

Teaching

• Postgraduate Research Design
• Major Project

Qualifications

PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London (UCL)

MSc in Dental Public Health, University College London (UCL)

BDS of Dental Surgery, Universidad de los Andes-Chile

Memberships, editorial boards

Society for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies (SLLS) – Young Researcher, 2024-2025.

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

Co-researcher, Nuffield Foundation project - The long-term effects of being a young carer (Leader: Dr. Rebecca Lacey), 2023-2026.

COORDINATE Fund TAV - Young Carers and Peer Relationships: Friendship and Bullying Across Genders, 2024.

NIHR North Thames ARC Local Authority Social Care Secondment, - Understanding the Care Sector’s Impact on Young Carers and the Paths They Navigate, 2024.

PhD Student, Becas Chile CONICYT – Intergenerational social mobility and older adult health inequalities, 2013-2018.

MSc Student, Becas Chile CONICYT – Area deprivation and oral health inequalities in early childhood, 2012-2013.

Selected recent publications

Lacey, R. E., Letelier, A., Xue, B. and McMunn, A. (2025) 'Changes in life satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-rated health before, during, and after becoming a young carer in the UK: a longitudinal, propensity score analysis', The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 50, 101187. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.101187

Letelier, A., McMunn, A., McGowan, A., Neale, B. and Lacey, R. (2024) 'Understanding young caring in the UK pre- and post-COVID-19: Prevalence, correlates, and insights from three UK longitudinal surveys', Children and Youth Services Review, 166, 108009. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.108009

Letelier, A., Watt, R. G. and Heilmann, A. (2022) 'Head injuries in early childhood in the UK; is there a social gradient?', Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 76(6), pp. 600–605. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2021-217184

Letelier, A., Jivraj, S., Heilmann, A., Watt, R. G. and Tsakos, G. (2022) 'Life course socioeconomic position and general and oral health in later life: Assessing the role of social causation and health selection pathways', SSM – Population Health, 17, 101026. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101026

Flores-Repetto, D., Pino, C., Letelier, A. and Hernández-Vigueras, S. (2021) 'Ajustes curriculares de las escuelas de odontología chilenas en periodo de pandemia COVID-19', International Journal of Odontostomatology, 15(4), pp. 857–866. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-381X2021000400857

Letelier, A., Madero-Cabib, I., Undurraga, E. A. and Pérez-Cruz, P. (2021) 'Lifetime socioeconomic determinants of health trajectories among older adults', Advances in Life Course Research, 49, 100415. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2021.100415

Smart, J. and Letelier, A. (2019) 'Bridging human rights and social determinants of health: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay', International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, 13(1), pp. 3-17. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-05-2019-0032

Letelier, A., Heilmann, A., Watt, R. G., Jivraj, S. and Tsakos, G. (2016) 'Does intergenerational social mobility affect general health, oral health and physical function among older adults in England?', The Lancet, 388, S68. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)32304-2

Recent presentations and conferences

Letelier, A., Lacey, R. and McMunn, A. (2025) 'Young carers and inequalities in school performance: Insights from the UK Household Longitudinal Study and National Pupil Database linkage'. Oral presentation at: Understanding Society Annual Conference. University of Essex, UK, 1 July.

Letelier, A., Lacey, R. and Swartz, A. (2025) Young adult carers in HE: Evidence and institutional responses. Oral presentation at: City St George’s University of London Summer Education Day, 17 June.

Letelier, A., Lacey, R. and Swartz, A. (2025) 'Understanding and supporting young adult carers'. Oral presentation at: City St George’s University of London Summer Education Day, 17 June.

Letelier, A., Lacey, R. and McMunn, A. (2025) 'The long-term effects of being a young carer'. Oral presentation at: Population Health Research Institute, City St George’s University of London, 25 March.

Letelier, A., Lacey, R. and McMunn, A. (2024) 'Inequalities in wellbeing around becoming a young carer in the UK'. Oral presentation at: Society for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies (SLLS) 13th Annual Conference. University of Essex, UK, 24–26 September.

Letelier, A., Lacey, R. and McMunn, A. (2024) 'Bridging care gaps: Exploring impact on lives and societies'. Oral presentation at: QAR-Net Care Workshop. University of Sheffield, UK, 2-4 June.

Letelier, A., Lacey, R. and McMunn, A. (2024) 'Young carers: Global perspectives and institutional responses'. Oral presentation and symposium coordinator at: 4th International Young Carers Conference. Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, 9–11 April.

Letelier, A., Lacey, R. and McMunn, A. (2024) 'Inequalities in wellbeing around becoming a young carer in the UK.' Oral presentation at: CLOSER Early Career Researcher Conference. London, UK, 18 September.

Letelier, A. and Smart, S. (2022) 'Digital determinants of health: Evaluating the impact of algorithmic decisions'. Oral presentation at: Discrimination in the Digital Age Seminar. Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile, 7 December.

Letelier, A. (2021) 'Social oral health inequalities: Knowledge and strategies to address them from primary care'. Oral presentation at: XI Congress of Public Health of the South. Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile, 25-26 November.

Letelier, A., Madero-Cabib, I., Perez, P. and Undurraga, E. (2021) 'Lifetime socioeconomic determinants of health trajectories among older adults'. Oral presentation at: MVLI Annual Conference. Santiago, Chile, 18 August.

Letelier, A., Madero-Cabib, I., Perez, P. amd Undurraga, E. (2021) 'Lifetime socioeconomic determinants of health trajectories among older adults'. Oral presentation at: MHSA Mexican Health and Ageing Study Annual Conference. Online, Mexico, 27-29 October.

Media experience

Policy briefs

Lacey, R., McMunn, A., Letelier, A., McGowan, A. and Cartlidge, K. (2025) 'Young carers and education: Policy brief – An analysis of how caring influences educational attainment', The Nuffield Foundation.

Lacey, R., McMunn, A., Letelier, A., McGowan, A. and Cartlidge, K. (2025) 'Young carers post-16 academic attainment in England', The Nuffield Foundation.

Letelier, A., McMunn, A., McGowan, A., Neale, B. and Lacey, R. (2024) 'Who are young carers in the UK? Understanding the prevalence and characteristics of adolescent young carers in the UK before and after COVID-19', The Nuffield Foundation.