About Dr Rana Amiri
I am a senior lecturer in Continuing Professional Development and MSc Nursing.
By background, I am a paediatric nurse, and my main clinical experience is in neonatal and paediatric wards such as oncology, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), obstetrics (OB), and surgical departments. I then worked as a preceptor and mentor in the NICU, for nursing and midwifery students at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2007.
I worked as a Project Manager with the United Nations in Iran, leading two projects in 2006 that provided educational programmes for Afghan women, trained peer educators, and supported women in sharing knowledge within their own communities.
For research experience, I joined the Neonatal Research Centre at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2008 as a Research Assistant and Nurse Researcher. My work focused on clinical trials and quantitative research in neonatal and children's health. When I started my PhD in 2010, my research shifted toward health inequalities and mainly immigrants, women, Neurodivergent people, children and ethnic minority communities. This developed my long-term interest in health equity, transcultural care, cultural intelligence, and ethnography.
After marriage in 2014, I moved to the UK, and in 2019, I worked as a Visiting Scholar at Northumbria University, collaborating on research on asylum-seeking and refugee women.
In 2021, I joined the University of Sunderland as a Research Associate, which was a great experience. Since October 2022, I have been a Senior Lecturer in CPD and MSc Nursing. In 2024, I completed my PGCE and gained Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.
For now, I am working to improve my research as an early-career researcher and to apply for funding based on the topic at hand.
Teaching and supervision
I teach and supervise dissertation students on:
I am the module leader for HSSM69, Leadership and Management (Level 7).
I am the module leader for NRS306, Equality, Diversity, Ethics And The Law In Healthcare (ICBT).
I am the module writer and leader for HNU3007, Research In Nursing. Online module
I am teaching management and leadership, health research and Neonatal care
Interests
My research interest are transcultural caring and developing cultural intelligence for healthcare professionals, as well as addressing health inequities affecting marginalised women, ethnic minorities, asylum seekers, and immigrants. I also have experience and interest researching autistic adults, children and supporting families, and neonatal and paediatric health. Having worked with diverse populations across different cultures and communities, I am always happy to discuss potential PhD projects related to health inequalities and culturally responsive care.
Research
My research roles include:
- Co-investigator with PI Floor Christie and Professor Katie Robb, University of Glasgow, for a Cancer Research UK-funded study: 'Improving uptake of breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening among Muslim women: a non-randomised feasibility study of a peer-led, faith-based intervention.
- Diagnostic evaluation project exploring the experiences of autistic adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the impact of educational programmes on their access to services and the challenges they have faced.
- Involved in a diagnostic evaluation project examining factors influencing the implementation of point-of-care screening (including hearing loss) within Primary Care-based Annual Health Checks for people with learning disabilities.
- Involve in a research project as a diagnostic evaluation how carers and parents of individuals with learning disabilities discuss menopause.
- Associate Researcher with PI Floor Christie for a Scottish Government-funded project: 'A Faith-based intervention for Muslim women in Scotland to encourage uptake of breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening: A community-based participatory approach' (2021).
- Work as Project Director for a United Nations initiative providing educational training for Afghan immigrants (2 projects), and publish a health literacy book for the participants related the educational material for the project.
- Research Assistant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Research Centre in Mashhad-Iran, with a primary focus on cross-sectional clinical trials involving neonates and children.