Join us for an online lunchtime seminar series, as we share the work of researchers working on projects exploring health inequalities, experiences of disability and public involvement in research. Anyone with an interest in health can register to attend, and we encourage those who want to learn more about community-based research to register.
The series showcases important and informative work in:
- Living with chronic pain and the social influences on pain.
- Living beyond cancer.
- The lived experiences of Black Disabled people with non-visible disabilities in the UK.
- Involving communities in deciding research priorities
- The work and emotional labour of PPI (Public and Patient involvement)
Registration is free and via Eventbrite. For more info, please see our social media and Eventbrite pages.
Below is the schedule for the five seminars that will be delivered:
Thursday 26th Feb 2026 12:00-13:00 Lunchtime seminar with Dr Sam Stone
Sam is a Senior Research Associate at Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol. Her current ethnographic research examines how social phenomena shape the experience of living with chronic pain, with a particular focus on transitions into and out of pain. She explores factors such as social connectedness and isolation, daily routines and activities, occupations, lifestyles, and broader sociocultural influences.
Her recent study investigated how individuals experience chronic pain in their everyday social contexts over a 12-month period. This ethnographic research involved 19 participants living with pain, identified through the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Participants comprised 12 women and 7 men, all identifying as White British, aged 32–33 years and living in the Southwest of England. Data collection included 295 research visits (approximately 418 hours of fieldwork) and 48 semi-structured interviews (around 30 hours). Analysis combined ethnographic methods with reflexive thematic analysis.
Sam’s work forms part of a multidisciplinary team funded by UKRI and Arthritis UK through the Advanced Pain Discovery Platform, within the Consortium to Research Individual, Interpersonal and Social Influences in Pain (CRIISP).
Monday 27th April 2026 12:00-13:00 Lunchtime seminar with Researcher Beth Pittuck
Beth Pittuck is a Research Officer at Healthwatch Essex. Her current research, Living Beyond Cancer, explores the long-term implications of cancer and/or its treatment on individuals’ lives. Through this research, she examines not only the physical effects of cancer, but also the enduring mental and emotional impacts that often persist after treatment ends. She has conducted walking interviews with individuals, using open environments to create space for reflective, participant-led conversations about their lived experience. These discussions have highlighted gaps in post-treatment support and prompted critical reflection on how care and resources might be improved. “This project has been deeply meaningful, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share the voices and insights of those who have contributed to it”. Beth is a Research Fellow with the NIHR East of England Applied Research Collaboration.
Thursday 25th June 2026 12:00-13:00 Lunchtime seminar with Researcher Emediong Jumbo
Emediong Jumbo is a fourth year PhD student at King’s College London. She has a BSc and MSc in Global Health. She is currently undertaking a doctoral project on “The Lived experiences of Black Disabled people with non-visible disabilities in the UK: Anti-Black racism, ableism and embodied belonging”. This project utilised methods such as co-production with Black disabled co-researchers, interviews and focus groups with photo-elicitation method. She has been a member of Anti-racism steering groups across higher education institutions since 2020.
Monday 24th Aug 2026 12:00-13:00 Lunchtime seminar with Dr Jack Birch & Dr Catherine Shuttleworth
Dr Jack Birch is a Research Associate based in the Population Health Sciences Institute at Newcastle University.
In the NIHR Policy Research Unit Behavioural and Social Sciences, Jack leads a study applying the behavioural and social sciences to the new generation of weight loss drugs. He previously led our study looking at the relationship between local economic productivity and health inequalities He leads our external communications activity, creating and maintaining our Bluesky and LinkedIn pages. Beyond research, Jack has contributed to blogs discussing the intersection between mental health and academia. Prior to joining the Policy Research Unit in Behavioural and Social Sciences in July 2024, Jack worked as a Research Fellow in in Evidence Synthesis in the Coventry Health Determinants Research Collaboration. This role involved increasing the use of academic evidence in local government policy and decision making. Jack has conducted policy research on obesity, public health, and health inequalities across a range of settings including academia, local and national government, and for non-governmental organisations. He is a member of the Society for Social Medicine and Population Health and serves as the Communications Officer and Chair-elect on the Early Career Researcher subcommittee.
Thursday 29th Oct 2026 12:00-13:00 Lunchtime seminar with Dr Stan Papoulias
To be Confirmed.
Click here to sign up! A Healthwatch Essex Seminar Series Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite