Runa Lazzarino

Dr. Runa Lazzarino is an Honorary Visiting Fellow and Research Fellow at the Research Centre for Transcultural Studies in Health (Middlesex University). Her work focuses on global health, cultural psychiatry, and transcultural healthcare, with a particular emphasis on recovery processes for vulnerable migrants, trafficking survivors, and refugees. She holds a PhD in sociocultural anthropology from the University of Milano-Bicocca (2015), where her research explored post-trafficking recovery through multi-stakeholder ethnography in Vietnam, Brazil, and Nepal.

Her current research integrates critical medical anthropology, addressing power dynamics, post-colonial discourses, and intersectionality. Key projects include refugee parenting, spirituality, and culturally adaptive social robots in healthcare. Methodologically, she employs participatory, interdisciplinary, and creative approaches within policy-oriented frameworks. Previous roles include a Research Associate in the SEATIDE Project (EU FP7), and fellowships at UCL Institute of Advanced Studies and the Rights Lab (University of Nottingham).

Dr. Lazzarino advises on psycho-social interventions, project management, and M&E. Her work bridges academic research with practical humanitarian efforts, emphasizing structural determinants of health and migration. She co-edits the forthcoming book Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery: The Victim’s Journey and contributes to impactful, policy-driven initiatives.