Centre for Ethnic Health Research

National centre for tackling health inequalities

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Meet the Team

Professor Kamlesh Khunti, CBE PhD MD FRCGP FRCP FMedSci

Director
Kamlesh Khunti is Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester. He is Co-Director of the Leicester Diabetes Centre (UK) and leads a research group that is currently working on the early identification of, and interventions with, people who have diabetes or are at increased risk of developing diabetes. Twitter: @kamleshkhunti

Dr Donna Richardson

ARC EM Managing Director

Donna’s background is in laboratory-based cancer research at the University of Leicester, where she did her PhD and, later, postdoctoral research into breast cancer.

Carol Akroyd

ARC EM Associate Director & Research Inclusion Lead

Carol’s background is in operational management, project management, business intelligence, healthcare leadership including strategic and financial management within acute hospitals and primary care services.

Dr Sophie Leonardi

Operations Manager

Since completing her PhD in physical activity, sedentary behaviour and health in 2012, Sophie has a wealth of experience in programme management, with expertise in the development and implementation of evidence-based public health initiatives in community and healthcare settings.

Dr Riya Patel

Research Fellow

Dr Riya Patel is a Chartered Psychologist and Behavioural Scientist with a research portfolio spanning ethnicity and health, health inequalities, and the use of co-production, qualitative and creative methodologies in health research. She is a Research Fellow in Ethnicity and Health at the University of Leicester, where she co-leads the Ethnicity and Health Inequalities research theme within the NIHR ARC-EM and is Academic Research Lead within the Centre for Ethnic Health Research. Her work brings together behavioural science and applied health research to understand and address health inequalities, with a particular focus on ethnically diverse and underserved communities.

Dr Ash Routen

Research Fellow

Ash is a Research Fellow in The Centre for Ethnic Health Research, specialising in ethnicity-based health inequalities. His work has informed both research and policy aimed at tackling these disparities, including co-authoring a chapter on ethnicity-based health inequalities in the UK Chief Medical Officer’s 2024 Annual Report.

Dr Laura Condon

Research Fellow

Laura has a mixed-methods background in psychology and health services research. She is passionate about improving healthcare equity for underserved communities and joins CEHR through NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands, alongside her role as an NIHR Senior Qualitative Research Adviser with the Research Support Service. 

Dr Shavez Jeffers

Research Associate

Since completing her PhD in Population Health Sciences in 2024, Shavez has continued to use her Health Psychology and Qualitative research skills to investigate areas such as ethnic health inequalities, trust in health research, and evaluating culturally-tailored engagement methods.

Dr Paul Bedford

Research Associate

Since completing his PhD in Management in 2024, Paul has made the move into Health Research, using his skills in Qualitative Research to investigate areas such as health inequalities, trust in health research, and innovation in the healthcare sector.

Barbara Czyznikowska

Community Engagement and Inclusion Manager

Barbara’s proficiency resides mainly within the field of public involvement, community engagement and health equity. Her academic background is in Human Rights, Public Policy and Government. She is especially passionate about policy-oriented research, focusing on interventions related to community wellbeing, inclusion and migration.

Julian Harrison

Equality & Diversity Consultant

After working in academia and then in rugby league development and promotion, Julian Harrison has spent the last sixteen years of his life working in community engagement, development and in the specific areas of equality, diversity, community cohesion and human rights.

Nasima Miah

Project Support Assistant

A BSc honors graduate in public and community health studies, who has 10 years extensive experience of project management, delivery, planning and evaluation.

Sunny Rohit

Community Engagement Officer

Sunny has almost 20 years of experience working in youth, community and sports development and management.

Gurpreet Grewal Santini

Community Engagement Officer

Gurpreet has worked mostly in the areas of communications, public relations, broadcasting, and community development. Her interests are combining textiles and different forms of arts to engage with communities and to use these resources for positive mental health and well-being.

Krishna Patel

Community Engagement Officer

Krishna has over 10-year’s experience of working with Voluntary and Community Sector organisations, most recently engaging with young people and vulnerable adults to look for employment. Her passion lies in fostering good relations with individuals and groups, community engagement and addressing inequality whilst making positive change.

Anita Barrand

Community Engagement Officer

Anita is a creative professional with over 20 years’ experience working in the cultural, community, health and education sectors.  She has worked in a variety of roles as a project manager, workshop facilitator and creative consultant.  Anita is a passionate advocate of the arts and in its ability to engage, educate and inspire.

Rabeya Choudhury

Community Engagement Officer

Rabeya has extensive experience in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, stakeholder engagement, and cultural change. She has led transformative initiatives across higher education, supporting the progression of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic graduates into high-skilled roles. Passionate about addressing health inequalities, she focuses on strengthening community involvement in health research and promoting equitable healthcare for all.

Fiona Hutchinson

Community Engagement Officer

Fiona has a strong academic background in education and research, with a Master’s degree and more than 20 years’ experience working in the community. She is deeply interested in the health inequalities faced by ethnically minoritised groups and is committed to understanding and addressing these issues.

Tassiann Walker

Community Engagement Officer

Tassiann has been involved in helping communities for over 8 years, particularly those facing socioeconomic disadvantage and cultural exclusion. A background in event management and hospitality she has always been passionate about working with people and creating new opportunities.

Kruti Patel

Community Engagement Officer

Kruti has a BSc Honors in Sport Sciences and diverse experiences in engaging communities to live a healthy lifestyle through physical activity, weight management and diabetes prevention services. 

Michelle Brown

Events and Engagement Manager

Michelle is the Events and Engagement Manager for NIHR ARC East Midlands. She supports the planning and delivery of events and engagement activities, helping to connect researchers, partners and communities and share the ARC’s work with wider audiences.

Leita Mistry

Administrator for the Centre

With extensive experience working in the financial sector and recently working with the Research Teams at the Leicester Diabetes Centre, I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge in providing exceptional customer service. I look forward to working with the Ethnic Research Centre and the Team.

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