When did you join LSHTM?

I joined LSHTM roughly 1.5 years ago after receiving a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) Studentship in Vaccines and Immunisation.

What were you doing before?

Before joining LSHTM, I was a Research Consultant at the Rapid Research Evaluation and Appraisal Lab (RREAL), based within the Department of Targeted Intervention at University College London. As part of this role, I co-ordinated and implemented numerous qualitative research projects in the field of healthcare improvement for organisations such as the NHS, the World Health Organization (WHO), and Collective Service. I also worked with colleagues on methodological innovations in rapid qualitative research through co-authoring several papers, training materials and a book chapter.

What is the focus of your PhD research?

My PhD research aims to explore how socioeconomic disadvantage shapes parents’ and informal caregivers’ experiences of accessing childhood vaccination services in England through the application of a qualitative longitudinal cohort study. Initially the study was going to focus on vaccine hesitancy, but a scoping review identified that vaccine confidence for childhood immunisations was relatively high in the UK and that vaccine accessibility was both a pervasive and under-researched phenomenon. Due to the focus on childhood vaccination, I am currently a member of MARCH and the Vaccine Centre. This research is supervised by Dr Tracey Chantler (LSHTM), Professor Sandra Mounier-Jack (LSHTM), and Ms Louise Letley (UK Health Security Agency).

Why is this an important issue?

Numerous studies have demonstrated that in the UK children are more likely to miss vaccinations, or receive vaccines late, when their household is classified as socioeconomically disadvantaged. More needs to be done to strive for equitable vaccine access so that all children can be protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. This PhD research aims to shed light on the experiences of socioeconomically disadvantaged parents so that public health bodies are better equipped to provide services which meet their needs.

Congratulations for securing funding from LSHTM’s Participatory Research Seed Fund, what was the funding used for?

In December 2022 I received £3.1k in funding from the LSHTM Participatory Research Seed Fund 22/23 to run a two-part workshop series with disadvantaged parents to consult and co-design elements of my PhD research. This workshop was delivered in partnership with Gorton Community Centre, Healthy Me Healthy Communities. The participants were engaged, open and provided invaluable input which has significantly strengthened the primary research study. Project outputs directly shaped the primary study materials, processes and participatory activities. This infographic summarises the core components and outcomes of the public engagement project.

What are the next steps? / Do you have any future plans for your work?

Workshop participants expressed interest in future engagement activities and receiving updates on the study so we will be maintaining contact with them and hope to develop a sustained relationship with workshop members and the community centre throughout the research project. This includes applying for further funding to support follow-up engagement activities.

Next steps also include ongoing sharing of learning in relation to the design and implementation of public engagement activities. A more detailed case study will be added to the LSHTM’s staff intranet shortly.

I will also be delivering a hybrid seminar with the Doctoral College on 6 June, 12:50-13:50, sharing practical tips on how to plan/execute public engagement activities – keep an eye out for more details!

Learn more about Georgia Chisnall.