I am trained as a medical sociologist and I have an interest in mixed-methods research, qualitative research and evaluation research. A large share of my academic work has been in the fields of Public Health, Health Promotion and the Organisation of Maternity Care. I have substantial research experience in conducting large-scale comparative studies, usually applying interdisciplinary and mixed-methods approaches.

I have been involved in evaluating large-scale community-based public-health interventions in Scotland funded by, for example, the Chief Scientist Office (Scottish Government, Edinburgh), the Wellcome Trust, and NHS Health Scotland.

I have has also published on various aspects of research methods in a format easily accessible to a lay audience, including a paper on research ethics published in a midwifery journal.

My international research is largely based in Nepal. We are involved in several research projects in the community with Green Tara Nepal to improve health and well-being of poorer people in Nepal. In 2009 we started a DelPHE grant in collaboration with the oldest university in Nepal, Tribhuban University, the University of Aberdeen and Green Tara Nepal. This interdisciplinary project: Improving Access to Research Literature for Higher Education Institutions in Nepal (PARI Initiative) helped build research capacity at Nepalese universities.

In 2020 we started an interdisciplinary project, led by the University of Sheffield, examining the consequences for the health system of Nepal’s move to a federal government structure. The three-year project is UK-funded by the MRC, Wellcome Trust and DFID under the Health Systems Research Initiative. The project is collaboration between researchers at the Universities of Sheffield, Bournemouth (Prof. van Teijlingen) and Huddersfield in the UK and the Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Science and PHASE Nepal in Kathmandu.

In early 2021, the UKCGE (UK Council for Graduate Education) awarded me Recognised Research Supervisor status.

Research

DelPHE (Round 4), British Council: Partnership on Improving Access to Research Literature for HE Institutions in Nepal (PARI Initiative), £ 53,000 for three years (with Prof. Ram Sharan Pathak & Dr. Bhimsen Devkota (both Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal, Dr. Padam Simkhada (University of Sheffield) and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen from BU’s School of Health & Social Care, and also Visiting Professor at Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) affiliated with Tribhuvan University. The PARI Initiative aims to improve evidnece-based practice in Higher Education in Nepal, in short trying to move away from textbook teaching in health care and teach Nepali students about finding the most appropriate evidence-based treatment for each patient. PARI will help to refocus curricula in Nepal with greater emphasis on research information.

PARI has attracted considerable media coverage in Nepal, e.g. http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Make+education+research-oriented%26sbquo%3B+says+expert&NewsID=367115

For further details on BU webpages see: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/hsc/news/2013/feb/ne001-pari-project-improves-rese...

For academic output see: https://wfpha.confex.com/wfpha/2012/webprogram/Paper9064.html

I am a public health researcher with interest in epidemiology, mixed-methods, maternal health, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, migration health and health services research as a result of working in various projects in different countries. In the past I have worked as a lecturer of public health, public health officer and medical laboratory technologist. I also have a strong track record of publications, experience of peer reviewing articles for journals such as PLOS and BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, and have been involved in grant writing.

I currently work part-time as a postdoctoral researcher in maternity organisation and culture with Rachel Arnold. Together we are looking at organisational behaviour and culture in the NHS. We are using a mixed-methods approach to investigate how culture can create both barriers and opportunities when implementing change in different parts of the maternity services. I am a Research Staff Association Representative for the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences and also working in other projects at Bournemouth University including midwifery education in Nepal and paramedics managing mental health patients.

Publications

Grants

Outreach & engagement

Media coverage

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