I am an Assistant Professor at the International Centre for Evidence in Disability (ICED) at LSHTM. Prior to joining ICED in 2016, I undertook a number of qualitative and policy research commissioned by international and local NGOs in the Maldives, contributing to regional and local understanding of social and religious barriers to reproductive health. My work at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) focused on evaluating programmes and research on sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender-based violence, with emphasis on strengthening institutional response to these. The common thread throughout my research career has been sexual and reproductive health and rights of vulnerable groups, based on which I completed my doctorate at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2012.
Affiliations
Department of Population Health
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health
Teaching
I teach on MSc modules including Global Disability and Health, Skills for Field Research in Eye Care, and Sexual Health. I also provide qualitative analysis support to MSc and PhD students doing qualitative and mixed methods research.
I supervise a number of PhD and DrPH students as first, second, or third supervisor:
• Tim O’ Fallon: Access to rehabilitation for people with disabilities in the Maldives
• Goli Hashemi: Barriers to accessing primary healthcare services for people with disabilities in Guatemala
• Veronika Reichenberger: Using in-depth interviews and participatory visual methodologies to understand healthcare access among adults with disabilities in São Paulo, Brazil
• Weiqi Han: Lived experiences of the sexuality of young people with physical disabilities in China during their transition to adulthood
• Benafsha Yaqoobi: Access to education for children with disabilities in Afghanistan
• Yandé Thiaw: Age-disparate transactional sex and sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women with disabilities in Kenya
I supervise a number of PhD and DrPH students as first, second, or third supervisor:
• Tim O’ Fallon: Access to rehabilitation for people with disabilities in the Maldives
• Goli Hashemi: Barriers to accessing primary healthcare services for people with disabilities in Guatemala
• Veronika Reichenberger: Using in-depth interviews and participatory visual methodologies to understand healthcare access among adults with disabilities in São Paulo, Brazil
• Weiqi Han: Lived experiences of the sexuality of young people with physical disabilities in China during their transition to adulthood
• Benafsha Yaqoobi: Access to education for children with disabilities in Afghanistan
• Yandé Thiaw: Age-disparate transactional sex and sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women with disabilities in Kenya
Research
I am committed to advancing knowledge on lived experiences of disability through qualitative and mixed-methods research. My main research interests are:
1. The intersection of disability and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR): I recently completed a systematic review of interventions promoting SRHR for people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries
2. Young people with disabilities: I am currently coordinating a multi-country project exploring access to education and employment for young people with disabilities in seven countries in Africa
3. COVID-19 and Disability: I was on the team conducting qualitative research on the impact of COVID-19 on people with disabilities in the UK. I am also overseeing similar qualitative work being undertaken in India and Turkey as part of the global Covid study.
4. Process and impact evaluations to inform disability-inclusive programming: I led the process evaluation of the Disability Allowance programme in the Maldives
5. Disability in humanitarian settings: I was the qualitative research lead on a recent study exploring disability and mental health of Syrian refugees in Sultanbeyli, Istanbul
1. The intersection of disability and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR): I recently completed a systematic review of interventions promoting SRHR for people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries
2. Young people with disabilities: I am currently coordinating a multi-country project exploring access to education and employment for young people with disabilities in seven countries in Africa
3. COVID-19 and Disability: I was on the team conducting qualitative research on the impact of COVID-19 on people with disabilities in the UK. I am also overseeing similar qualitative work being undertaken in India and Turkey as part of the global Covid study.
4. Process and impact evaluations to inform disability-inclusive programming: I led the process evaluation of the Disability Allowance programme in the Maldives
5. Disability in humanitarian settings: I was the qualitative research lead on a recent study exploring disability and mental health of Syrian refugees in Sultanbeyli, Istanbul
Research Area
Evaluation
Impact evaluation
Reproductive health
Sexual and reproductive health
Sexual health
Systematic reviews
Social Policy
Qualitative research
Disease and Health Conditions
Disability
Mental health
Country
Bangladesh
India
Kenya
Maldives
Turkey
United Kingdom
Uganda
Rwanda
Ethiopia
Ghana
Senegal
Nigeria
Region
Europe & Central Asia (all income levels)
Middle East & North Africa (all income levels)
South Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa (developing only)
Selected Publications
Access to the Disability Allowance in the Maldives: National coverage and factors affecting uptake
2022
Global Social Policy
Process evaluation of the Disability Allowance programme in the Maldives
2021
International Social Security Review
Actions, not words: progress since ICPD on disability and SRHR.
2019
Sexual and reproductive health matters
Universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights: Gaps in policies in the maldives
2019
Asia-Pacific Social Science Review
To be young, unmarried, rural, and female: intersections of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Maldives.
2018
Reproductive Health Matters
The Impact of the Disability Allowance on Financial Well-Being in the Maldives: Quasi-experimental Study
2023
The European Journal of Development Research
Healthcare Stakeholders' Perspectives on Challenges in the Provision of Quality Primary Healthcare for People with Disabilities in Three Regions of Guatemala: A Qualitative Study.
2023
International journal of environmental research and public health
Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to healthcare among people with disabilities: evidence from six low- and middle-income countries.
2023
International journal for equity in health