About the project team
Our project team consists of eight peer and community (P&C) researchers, two community-based researchers, and two university-based researchers, all of whom have experience conducting research on the wider determinants of health.
The P&C researchers in this project are Amani Rahman, Lily Islam, Loubna Bijdiguen, Phil Samba, Shazna Begum, Shazna Hussain, Tanjida Rahman and Yesmin Begum. Prior to this project, they have participated in a variety of P&C research activities,
Including:
- Patient and Public Involvement activities for academic and health service projects;
- Participatory action research projects at Toynbee Hall;
- Peer research projects at Bromley by Bow Centre;
- Food Lives Matter Community Research with Women’s Environmental Network and University of Sussex;
- Partnership for Black People’s Health at Queen Mary University of London;
- Community Insights Programme at Tower Hamlets Council.
This project is led by Xia Lin and Bethan Mobey, with support from Megan Clinch and Sara Paparini.
- Dr Xia Lin is a consultant in co-production, research, and evaluation, and was formerly the Head of Policy, Research, and Community at Toynbee Hall. Xia has led over 25 participatory action research projects focused on issues such as health, poverty, and adult education. Recently, she developed and delivered P&C research learning workshops for government officers from 15 organisations at local, regional, and national levels.
- Bethan Mobey specialises in participatory approaches to research, policy and service development. In recent years, Bethan has managed a variety of 2 participatory action research projects along with Xia Lin. She is currently managing a borough-wide programme at Women’s Environmental Network focused on developing a fairer food system with 25 partners and a group of residents and community representatives creating community research.
- Dr Megan Clinch is a Reader in Anthropology of Public Health at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). She studies and conducts participatory health and planetary health research. With Sara Paparini she has developed and delivered a P&C research training course and an evaluation course for small community organisations. She also leads on public involvement in reseach at the Wolfson Institute of Population Health, QMUL.
- Dr Sara Paparini is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health and Equity at Wolfson Institute of Population Health at QMUL and the social science lead for the SHARE collaborative. Sara is an anthropologist working at the intersection of public health, anti-racist and participatory health research to achieve health equity. She has also worked in the NHS carrying out social research on HIV in East London hospitals and in the HIV voluntary sector.
Acknowledgement
We would like to express our profound thanks to all those who contributed to this project. Our deepest gratitude goes to the peer and community researchers, community organisations, council representatives, NHS representatives, and academic researchers who generously shared their time, insights, and expertise throughout this project. Thank you to everyone involved for playing a vital role in our collective effort towards enhancing peer and community research and driving positive social change in Tower Hamlets.
Contact
For more information about the project, please contact:
• Xia Lin: Xia.Lin.Khan@outlook.com
• Bethan Mobey: Bethan.Mobey@googlemail.com