A Pembrokeshire-born neuroscientist has been recognised by Imperial College for her work on behaviour change and preventative health.
Dr Julia Jones, founder of the health tech platform Holidity, was honoured through Imperial College Health Partners’ (ICHP) Innovator Support Programme for her contributions to preventative healthcare.
Based in London, Dr Jones launched Neuron Wellness - trading as Holidity - in 2019 and began research and development into behaviour change after questioning why so many health and wellbeing programmes fail to deliver long-term results.
The motivation behind her work was deeply personal, having lost both parents to preventable, lifestyle-related illnesses.
Dr Jones said: "It troubled me that as a sector, we're continuing to use flawed coaching models and digital health apps that most people drop out of long before their brain has had a chance to biologically embed a behaviour that will last forever."
Holidity combines daily human accountability with digital delivery via WhatsApp to help individuals form lasting health habits.
The platform connects users with a human accountability partner who sends daily personalised messages through WhatsApp, helping to reinforce behaviour change in the critical early stages of a programme.
Holidity reports that its daily human check-in model is being adopted across health and fitness sectors, supporting programmes such as weight loss, smoking cessation, and mental health coaching.
According to the company, each participant requires approximately two minutes of coach or practitioner time per day, regardless of the number of participants they are supporting, it has reportedly produced higher retention rates than digital health apps while achieving outcomes comparable to in-person programmes.
Oke Eleazu, chair of Holidity and chair of Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Preventative health isn’t a peripheral concern for the NHS anymore, it’s central to whether the system is sustainable at all.
"We are speaking with colleagues in prehab, weight loss programmes and employee wellbeing where we think this daily check-in model could easily add value and help individuals make progress."
Holidity was recently one of eight companies selected to present at ICHP’s Innovation Forum, which took place in London in April 2026 and focused on solutions to support North West London’s cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) mission.
Dr Olivia Pang, senior innovation advisor at ICHP, said: "Healthy habits are easy to prescribe, but much harder to build into everyday life.
"Working with Holidity, we saw an opportunity to bridge that gap, particularly for people who struggle with motivation and consistency."
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