Core team

Dr Kate Fryer has more than 20 years of qualitative health research experience, and has focused on working with marginalised populations. She currently co-leads the Inclusive Research Workstream within the Academic Unit for Primary Care, working in collaboration with the Deep End Clinical Research Network. She co-chairs the Ethnic Minorities Research Inclusion meetings, and speaks nationally about inclusivity in research. 

Dr Qizhi Huang is passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion in research and clinical practice. She is currently working on prostate cancer, in particular, working with black men who are disproportionately affected by the condition more than men of other races. 

Qizhi also has close links to the Chinese communities in Sheffield and often gives health talks in the communities.

Rebecca's special area of interest is around addressing inequalities in sexual and reproductive health provision in primary care. Her MD focused on barriers to access of sexual and reproductive health in general practice with a focus on deprived communities.  

Rebecca's current research project involves developing community researchers who will lead focus groups with women from ethnic minority groups on their experience and access to contraception services.

Dr Josie Reynolds recently completed her NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in general practice and now works in a Deep End practice in Sheffield (Darnall) and as a DERA research fellow. Her work focuses on racial equity in health and producing community driven solutions to structural racism within healthcare. 

Josie's has worked with public health research teams in Jamaica giving her valuable insight into Caribbean culture and advocating for underserved populations. Of particular relevance was her work as a research assistant on studies exploring dementia care in the Caribbean and the intersection of mental health and faith in Caribbean communities.  

She is currently principal investigator of PMIMS a co-produced study exploring dementia & ethnicity with communities of colour, seeking to improve access and uptake of dementia services. 

Josie is an experienced facilitator of PPIE events and has been involved in the development of the Deep End Research Alliance Yorkshire & Humber. She works in mixed-methods using participatory research principles. 

Johanna qualified as a Nurse in 2008 and began her career working in Critical Care, moving into Practice Nursing in 2013. 

Working in Primary Care across Sheffield and NE Derbyshire, sparked her interest in public health and tackling health inequalities. She began working as a Research Nurse with the Deep End Research Cluster in 2021, supporting GP surgeries, working with the Deep End PPI group and setting up a Community of Practice for Research in Primary Care, to offer peer support to Primary Care clinicians with an interest in research.

Johanna has also worked with community members at SACMHA (Sheffield African & Caribbean Mental Health Association) to set up '1in4: Sheffield Prostate Cancer Support group for black men' which is the first of it's kind in South Yorkshire.

Shami's research interest centres around non-communicable chronic lung disease focused at both a local level through the Deep End Practice Clinical Research network (nine general practices in Sheffield serving the poorest communities) and at a global level through research into non-communicable chronic lung disease in low- middle- income countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Shami has advocacy roles at both a national (British Thoracic Society Global Lung Health Group) and international level (The Union, Adult and Child Lung Health Section working group on Chronic Respiratory Problems) related to non-communicable chronic lung disease. This group involvement has allowed her to develop rich networks of peers and focus on approaches to influencing health promotion, reporting and dissemination of research and best practice in relation to non-communicable chronic lung disease.

Monica is a current NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow focusing on mental health inequities. She has an interest in public health, migrant health, community-based approaches and qualitative methods. She completed a public health MSc at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where she focused on exploring the unmet health needs of people with undocumented immigration status accessing primary care services at Doctors of the World UK, advising on recommendations to improve service delivery and advocacy. Previous work includes exploring the impact of the 'hostile environment' immigration policies in primary care, as well as advocacy work at the intersection of housing, welfare and mental health.