The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the UK’s largest funder of health and care research and provides the people, facilities and technology that enables research to thrive. We work with a range of stakeholders to deliver and enable world-class research that transforms people's lives, promotes economic growth and advances science.
NIHR funds high quality global health research that directly addresses the diverse health needs of people in low and middle income countries (LMICs). We invest in applied health research relevant to the unmet needs of LMIC communities, health system priorities and the evolving global burden of disease. Our research is delivered through programmes that award funding to equitable partnerships between groups of researchers and institutions in LMICs and the UK. We also fund the career development of researchers at all stages and provide funding to support the careers of research support staff. Since its establishment in 2016, NIHR’s Global Health research portfolio has continued to develop at pace, underpinned by a strong commitment by all stakeholders to embed meaningful community engagement and involvement (CEI) across the full portfolio of this funding programme’s schemes and strategic partnership activities.
NIHR's CEI vision is that all global health research will be undertaken in collaboration with the communities who are most likely affected by the research outcomes, and that those who are marginalised should have a meaningful voice throughout the research life cycle.
To help NIHR gain more insight on CEI in LMICs and connect the organisation to the wider community engagement network, they created the NIHR CEI Virtual Advisory Panel (formerly known as the NIHR Global Health CEI Advisory Network).
NIHR Global Health Community Engagement & Involvement (CEI) Virtual Advisory Panel
The NIHR Global Health CEI Virtual Advisory Panel is an invited group of CEI specialists (practitioners, academics and consultants) and community members (including patients and carers) with knowledge and experience of community engagement and involvement in LMICs.
The purpose of the Panel is:
- to advise the NIHR CEI Working Group on the CEI strategic approach, policies and activities related to NIHR’s portfolio,
- to act as a CEI knowledge base to improve decision-making and add a diversity of views to NIHR’s portfolio, and
- to act as enablers to support the NIHR with connecting to the wider global health research and CEI community.
Since its creation in July 2019, the Panel has played an important role in supporting the development of CEI in NIHR’s global health work. Over the past 5 years, the Panel have been involved in:
- the development of NIHR’s CEI strategic approach
- a focus group on their understanding and experience of the impact of COVID-19 on CEI activities
- sharing experience and knowledge through presentations and discussions
- supporting the development of our CEI Shared Learning Group
- various Global Health and CEI opportunities such as reviewing, committee membership, paper authorship, and participation in CEI research and evaluations
- shaping NIHR guiding principles for CEI
- supporting the development of the CEI online course in collaboration with Mesh
- helping NIHR establish relationships with Mesh and The Global Health Network, as well as other external organisations and individuals.
For a full list of current and previous Advisory Panel members, please click HERE
If you would like to know more information about the Advisory Panel, please contact the NIHR CEI Team at ceiglobalhealth@nihr.ac.uk.
For more information about our CEI vision, goals and Guiding Principles for CEI, please visit our CEI webpage. There you will also find some useful resources.
Virtual Advisory Panel Members
Ms Mehek Ali
Assistant Director, Interactive Research & Development (IRD) Global
Ms Mehek Ali is a dedicated public health and education professional with 12 years of experience co-creating meaningful, community- centered programs. Passionate about participatory approaches, experiential learning, and arts-based methodologies, she fosters community engagement for social change.
Mehek has developed community engagement initiatives across health and social sectors, prioritising lived experiences and embodied wisdom, including for TB, COVID-19, HIV, maternal and child health, mental health, climate justice and gender rights. She excels in stakeholder collaboration and impactful storytelling, amplifying health priorities through interdisciplinary solutions and innovative strategies that drive lasting, positive impact.
Dr Mary Chambers
Head of Public and Community Engagement, The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU)
Dr Mary Chambers is a Public and Community Engagement specialist. She has led the development of the public and community engagement (PCE) programme for OUCRU in Vietnam, Nepal and Indonesia. Mary’s personal interests lie in using participatory methods to amplify community voices and bring them into conversations about biomedical research.
She has recently published work on the ethics of participatory methods, vaccine uptake in hard-to-reach communities and on socio-cultural aspects of COVID-19. She has a PhD in Medical Entomology from the University of Cambridge and has over 25 years of experience in Southeast Asia.
Mr Teklu Cherkose
Researcher, Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI)
Mr Teklu Cherkose is a dedicated, young social scientist specialising in Implementation Science, with a focus on the dynamics of stakeholder engagement, contextual adaptation and sustainable implementation of public health programmes. He has collaborated with international research teams on projects addressing malaria, leishmaniasis, and other neglected tropical diseases, emphasising the role of social and behavioural sciences in improving health outcomes.
Through the use of mixed methods, Teklu investigates the interplay of actors, interests, and systemic barriers to inform effective and equitable health policies and practices. His work aims to bridge the gap between research and policy, fostering impactful and lasting change in healthcare delivery and public health systems. Teklu holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sociology from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and is currently doing his PhD in the same field of study.
Ms Sana Contractor
Research Officer, Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT)
Ms Sana Contractor is a public health researcher and practitioner based in Mumbai, India. Her work tackles the ways in which marginalisation based on gender and identity impacts on the health of communities, and the democratic participation of communities in responding to these challenges.
Dr Robyn Curran
Senior Research Officer, Knowledge Translation Unit, University of Cape Town
Dr Robyn Curran heads the Community Engagement and Involvement Research at the Knowledge Translation Unit, University of Cape Town in South Africa. Her research experience in clinical and pragmatic trials, to qualitative research has significantly contributed to forging her career path in centring voices of stakeholders, from infants, children and youth to survivors of sexual violence, in what health systems interventions are needed and how studies are designed with community stakeholders.
More recently, Robyn has co-led an Advocacy Academy of people with lived experience of multiple long-term conditions who have informed a health systems intervention and trial design in South Africa.
Dr Walter Flores
Principal Advisor, Center for the Study of Equity and Governance in Health Systems (CEGSS)
Dr Walter Flores is a social scientist and human rights advocate with over 25 years of professional experience. He holds a PhD in Health Systems and a Masters of Community Health from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK. Walters' professional work has been carried out in more than 30 countries from Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe. His areas of expertise are participatory research, community engagement and involvement in health research, health equity, transparency and accountability, and democratic governance of public policies.
Walter is founder and past director of CEGSS, an action-research organisation based in Guatemala, aiming to improve access to healthcare services for indigenous and other marginalized populations. He has been a consultant for the European Union and USAID in the area of health systems and programs evaluation, and has served as expert advisor for both the World Health Organization and the Pan-American Health Organization on different initiatives and task forces such as: Promoting Social Participation in Health Systems; A Framework to measuring and monitoring Global Child Obesity Goals; Roadmap to Universal Health Coverage; Ethical guidelines for Universal Health Coverage.
Currently, Dr Flores is research professor at the Accountability Research Center, School of International Service, American University, Washington DC, USA.
Dr Ariel Frisancho Arroyo
South America Hub Coordinator, Community of Practitioners on Accountability and Social Action in Health (COPASH)
Dr Ariel Frisancho Arroyo is a doctor and a specialist in rights-based approaches, citizen participation, community health and health governance and accountability. For more than 20 years he has propelled community empowerment processes within health initiatives in Peru, as The Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) Peru's Country Director (2015-2022) and Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) Peru's Manager of Social Rights Programs (2003-2014).
He is a strong civil society health rights advocate, acting as Peru’s ForoSalud President (2012-2013) and Directorate member (2004-2016) and representing civil society at National Health Council (2008-2010). Together with Quechua indigenous women, he implemented an internationally recognised initiative on citizen monitoring of health rights in the Peruvian Andes (2008-2014).
Ariel has been a member of the World Bank’s Civil Society Consultative Group on Health, Nutrition and Population (2012-2016) and the Steering Committee of the International Initiative on Maternal Mortality and Human Rights (IIMMHR, 2007-2018). He is currently a member of the steering committee of COPASAH and COPASAH South America Hub’s Coordinator.
Mrs Afni Handayani
Lived Experience Advisory Group, Sustainable Treatments for Anxiety and Depression in Indonesia (STAND)
Mrs Afni Handayani is an advisory researcher with lived experience, actively involved in the Sustainable Treatment for Anxiety and Depression project in Java, Indonesia in collaboration with the University of Manchester and Indonesian partners. The research aims to improve healthcare services for patients with anxiety and depression.
Afni earned her bachelor’s degree in Sufism and Psychotherapy from Universitas Muhammadiyah Cirebon in 2022, after participating in exchange programs, including Asia University in Taiwan. She is currently pursuing postgraduate studies in Psychology at Universitas Semarang, Indonesia, which started in 2024.
Mr Godfrey Kagaayi
Founder, Twogere
Mr Godfrey Kagaayi is a mental health campaigner and his work centres on expanding young people’s access to mental health services, driving policy reforms, and empowering individuals with lived experience to actively contribute to the design and delivery of mental health programs.
Godfrey is passionate about creating inclusive spaces where people affected by mental health conditions can shape the services that impact their lives. He has expertise in project cycle management, monitoring and evaluation including designing and implementing user-centred monitoring and evaluation systems, tools, and frameworks. He has served in staff leadership positions, on boards, and advisory committees for organisations of all sizes, from small grassroots nonprofits to large and international organisations.
Professor Ismail Lawani
Professor of Surgery, University of Abomey-Calavi
Professor Ismail Lawani is a Professor of Visceral Surgery and Consultant in Digestive Surgery at the University of Abomey-Calavi, Republic of Benin. He has developed expertise in conducting pragmatic, multicentre, international surgical clinical trials aimed at improving patient outcomes, with over 130 peer-reviewed research publications. His achievements have been recognised by the Cotonou School of Medicine Outstanding Researcher Award in 2024. Within the NIHR Global Surgery Unit, Ismail leads a team of CEI Officers from across the NIHR Global Surgery Unit, ensuring that patients remain at the centre of all their research.
Miss Bhavya Malhotra
Research Associate - CEI, Sangath
Miss Bhavya Malhotra is a trauma-informed psychologist, mental health writer, and participatory researcher with lived experience of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Bhavya has contributed to the development of the Community Engagement toolkit for building awareness about child development and uptake of early intervention services as part of Neurodevelopment and AutisM in South Asia Treatment and Evidence (NAMASTE) project. Her independent projects have centred around communities to address gender-injustice, neuro-inclusion, and self-care for parents of autistic children.
Being a mental health writer for the last 5 years, Bhavya acknowledges the influence of social systems on mental health challenges and believes in involving end service-users in research and practice to create sustainable systemic change.
Ms Noni Mumba
Head of Community Engagement, KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP)
Ms Noni Mumba is an engagement practitioner with over 10 years expertise in community engagement for global health research. This expertise also includes engaging broadly with specific publics of interest, including local and national policy makers in Kenya. Her role at KWTRP includes development of engagement strategies and innovative approaches for the engagement and involvement of host communities, stakeholders, and policy makers in research planning, conduct, and uptake of findings into policy. She also supports monitoring, evaluation and learning of engagement activities.
Noni is involved in building the capacity of KWTRP engagement staff and researchers on engagement. In the last 5 years, this capacity strengthening has extended beyond KWTRP through webinars, teaching engagements, and collaborative research projects.
Professor Unnikrishnan Payyappallimana
Professor, University of Transdisciplinary Health Sciences and Technology
Professor Unnikrishnan Payyappallimana has been a community health researcher for over 2 decades and has coordinated a number of capacity building and implementation programs in India and other LMICs. He has coordinated research activities for the Regional Centres of Expertise Network, a global program on Education for Sustainable Development, a multi stakeholder platform for community engagement and sustainability.
Unni is currently a professor at the University of Transdisciplinary Health Sciences (TDU), Bengaluru, India, having previously worked with the United Nations University-International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH), Kuala Lumpur and the Institute for the Advanced Studies of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), Tokyo in various capacities for 10 years. He has his undergraduate training as a physician (Ayurveda), holds a master’s degree in Medical Anthropology and a PhD in International Development.
Mr Khaled Ayesh
Executive Manager, The National Forum for Human Rights
Mr Khaled Ayesh is a senior executive with over 15 years of experience in local and international non-governmental organisations, with expertise in human rights policy and international standards. As well as the ability to manage advocacy and influence issues, science policy, natural resource management and climate policy, he has extensive practical experience in a complex humanitarian environment in Yemen and the Middle East across multiple sectors, primarily health and nutrition and protection.
Khaled possesses strong skills in organisational leadership, strategy and policy development, and program improvement in crisis situations. He has strong political and media acumen, this is clearly demonstrated in his strategic approach to fostering dialogue among various stakeholders, including government bodies, international organisations, and civil society groups.
Mr Prince Tommy Williams
Executive Director, Lifeline Nehemiah Project
Mr Prince Tommy Williams is a dedicated professional with over 20 years of experience in CEI. As the current Chief Executive Officer of Lifeline Nehemiah Projects, he has successfully led the implementation of various initiatives funded by Big Lottery, Comic Relief, Lifeline Network International, the World Bank, and the government of Sierra Leone.
Prince is currently serving as the CEI Lead for the 2YoungLives (2YL) and Capacity Research Innovation Building Maternity Systems (CRIBS) projects.
Previous CEI Advisory Network members
- Professor Pamela Abbott - Director of the Centre for Global Development and Professor in the School of Education, University of Aberdeen
- Dr Rochelle Burgess - Associate Professor in Global Health at UCL
- Dr Phaik Yeong Cheah - Associate Professor of Oxford University and Head of the Department of Bioethics and Engagement (based in Bangkok at the Wellcome Programme)
- Professor Moses Chimbari - Research Professor at University of KwaZulu-Natal and co-deputy Director of Tacking Infections to Benefit Africa (TIBA) project
- Tracy Jackson - Senior Research Fellow, Patient and Public Involvement Lead at University of Edinburgh
- Dr Dorcas Kamuya - Researcher in Ethics and Community Engagement, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
- Dr Shelley Lees - Associate Professor in Anthropology of Gender, Violence and HIV, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Dr Susan Moloney - Associate Researcher, Newcastle University
- Dr Rosemary Musesengwa - Postdoctoral researcher with the Global Initiative in Neuropsychiatric GenEthics - NeuroGenE at the Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University and with the Wellcome Centre for Ethics & Humanities
- Dr Erica Nelson - the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex
- Hasara Nuwangi - Postgraduate student, Kent and Medway Medical School
- Linda Parton - Public contributor
- Dr Bridget Pratt - Ethics researcher at Queensland Bioethics Centre, Australian Catholic University
- Professor Dame Louise Robinson - Professor of Primary Care and Ageing, Newcastle University
- Sanjog Thakuri - Freelancer Consultant on Child Participation, Governance and Professional and Organizational Development. UN Global Youth Advocate.
- Dr Robin Vincent - Freelance Learning and Evaluation Consultant