Lead researcher
Dr Floor Christie-de Jong
What motivates me to be part of this research?
“I want to help make healthcare feel more equal, more trusted, and more relevant especially for people who are often overlooked. That starts by listening to communities and working together.”
Roles
Associate Professor in Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Sunderland
Associate Director, Fuse: Centre for Translational Research in Public Health
Education
Master of Public Health, University of Liverpool, UK
MSc in Clinical Psychology, University of Groningen, Netherlands
PhD in Public Health, Lancaster University, UK
Research focus
Health inequalities in screening, especially among ethnic minority communities
Asset-based approaches in public health, which means focusing on the strengths already present in communities (e.g., trusted social networks, cultural values and places of belonging) and building from there
Faith-based methods to improve screening uptake, which means aligning health messages with people’s spiritual beliefs to support engagement and positive change
Projects
Floor is the Principal Investigator for the studies featured on this website, including:
IMCAN
Improving Muslim women’s breast, bowel, and cervical CANcer screening, funded by Cancer Research UK. Find out more about IMCAN.
PROCAN-B
Prostate CANcer early diagnosis in Black men, funded by Prostate Cancer Research. Find out more about PROCAN-B.
EQUITA
Equity in Black Adult Health, a trial of a faith-based intervention to improve cancer and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Find out more about EQUITA.
Collaborators
Prof Kathryn A. Robb
What motivates me to be part of this research?
“I believe that everyone should have a fair chance to catch cancer early. I'm passionate about making screening easier to access and more meaningful for all communities.”
Roles
Professor of Behavioural Science and Health, University of Glasgow
Lead, Cancer Behaviour Research Group, University of Glasgow
Expertise
Behavioural science and cancer outcomes
Co-designing interventions to improve screening access
Education
MA in Psychology, University of St Andrews
MSc and PhD in Health Psychology. University College London
Prof Aasim Padela
What motivates me to be part of this research?
“Faith-based health interventions work because they honour the beliefs, values and trusted voices that shape how communities engage with healthcare. When we root public health efforts in the cultural and moral worlds of the people we serve, we build trust and improve outcomes.”
Roles
Professor and Vice Chair for Research and Scholarship, Department of Emergency Medicine
Professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities, Institute of Health & Humanity
Founder & Chairperson, the Initiative on Islam and Medicine
Expertise
Professor Padela is an emergency medicine physician and an academic scholar with research foci at the intersection of bioethics, public health, medical education, and religion.
Education
MD, Weill Cornell Medical College
MA in Character Education (in progress), University of Birmingham
MSc in Healthcare Research, University of Michigan
BS in Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester
BA in Classical Arabic, University of Rochester
Dr Marie K. Murphy
What motivates me to be part of this research?
“I'm motivated by the chance to stand alongside people who face barriers to healthcare and help make cancer screening feel more understandable, more supportive and more inclusive.”
Role
Lecturer in Health Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Dental School, University of Glasgow
Expertise
Reducing health inequalities in oral health and cancer
Supporting under-served groups in early cancer detection
Mixed-methods research
Participatory approaches and public involvement
Education
PhD in Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Ireland
BA (Hons) Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Ireland
Prof Judith Eberhardt
What motivates me to be part of this research?
“I care about people feeling supported in their health and wellbeing, no matter their background. I want my research to help remove the unfair obstacles that some communities still face.”
Roles
Professor of Psychology and Health Equity, Teesside University
Chartered Psychologist and editorial board member
Expertise
Preventative health behaviours
Health inequalities in ethnic minority populations
Long-term conditions and public health psychology
Education
PhD in Psychology Teesside University
Vordiplom in Psychology, Heidelberg