معرفی
Kaz Stuart is Professor of Social and Health Inequalities and Director of the Centre of Research for Health and Society at the University of Cumbria, with additional roles as Director of Indigo Children's Services and Honorary Research Fellow at the same university. Her career spans primary, secondary, and higher education teaching, youth work, social care, and outdoor education across practitioner, managerial, and leadership positions.
Her educational background includes a PhD in Collaborative Agency from the University of Lancaster (2010-2013), MBA in Educational Leadership from the University of Leicester, and BA.Ed. Hons from the University of Kent.
Stuart specializes in creative and participatory action research methodologies focused on human agency, empowerment, and social justice. Her work critically examines educational inequalities, wellbeing frameworks, and integrated working practices, particularly through biopsychosocial lenses and activity theory. She develops practical frameworks for asset-based practice, relational leadership, and system leadership in volatile contexts, emphasizing co-creation with marginalized communities.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals consistent engagement with participatory methodologies to address structural inequalities, with growing emphasis on pandemic recovery frameworks and critical challenges to neoliberal educational discourses. Her work bridges academic research and practitioner application across education, health, and social care sectors.
Scientific recognition includes:
- Vice Chancellor's Excellence Award for Research (2016)
- Outstanding Knowledge Transfer Partnership (2012)
- Vice Chancellor's Excellence Award for Enterprise (2012)
Stuart secured Erasmus+ funding for the Marginalisation and Co-Created Education Project (2016-2020) and has extensive experience in social return on investment analysis. Her advisory work focuses on developing practitioner capabilities through action research, with significant contributions to children's centre leadership frameworks and youth work evaluation methodologies.
She leads the Centre of Research for Health and Society at the University of Cumbria and previously directed the Research Hub at Brathay Trust, fostering collaborative teams focused on integrated care, empowerment frameworks, and critical approaches to asset-based practice for children, young people, and families.
