About Dr Farhin Ahmed
I am a Research Associate in the School of Medicine, working on the EQUITA study, a NIHR-funded feasibility trial co-producing a faith-based intervention to increase uptake of breast, cervical, bowel, and AAA screening among Black adults in the north-east of England, Leeds, and Scotland.
I was awarded a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and Counselling, an MSc in Health Psychology, and a PhD in Health Psychology from Teesside University. I am also a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society and a member of the Division of Health Psychology.
Prior to joining Sunderland, I worked as a Health Services Researcher at Queen Mary University of London on an NIHR-funded project exploring the use of assistive technology to promote independence for people with COPD and their carers. I have also held research roles at the University of Oxford, contributing to perinatal health research, and at Teesside University, where I was part of community-based projects addressing alcohol use, NHS health checks, and Covid-19 recovery. Alongside research, I lectured in Psychology at Teesside, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Research
My research interests are in the areas of ethnic health inequalities, health behaviour, and culturally tailored health interventions. I am particularly interested in how social, cultural, and structural factors influence health behaviours, and how community engagement can be built into research to help reduce inequalities. I am also committed to co-produced approaches that ensure community voices are at the centre of intervention design, with the aim of making health services more accessible and effective for diverse populations.