معرفی
Shivani Sharma is an Associate Professor at the University of Hertfordshire within the School of Life and Medical Sciences, Department of Psychology, Sport and Geography. Currently associated in a visiting capacity while holding a substantive position as Professor of Health Equity and Inclusion at Aston University, she previously served in leadership roles including Head of Department and Associate Dean for Education & Student Experience, contributing to the School's first Athena Swan Silver award.
Her research centers on health psychology and health equity, specializing in psychosocial factors in long-term conditions. Key expertise includes widening research access for under-represented groups, cross-cultural adaptation of Patient Reported Outcome Measures, treatment engagement barriers, psychosocial intervention evaluation, and co-production of research with patients and communities. She employs mixed-methods and systematic reviews to address health disparities, with strong emphasis on kidney disease and mental health contexts.
Recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate consistent focus on health inequality through scoping reviews and qualitative studies covering kidney disease burden, mental health in dialysis patients, foster care inclusivity, and autism research. Her work consistently integrates patient experience perspectives and cultural adaptation frameworks across diverse populations.
Sharma actively supervises six PhD students including Carole Kelly (autism in women), Neerja Jain (kidney research representation), and Melis Duru (Turkish Cypriot autism communities), alongside recently completed doctorates on South Asian hemodialysis experiences and illness perceptions. Her funded projects address critical gaps such as treatment burden measurement in dialysis, pruritus burden in kidney patients (KRUK-funded), and culturally inclusive mental health in kidney care.
She maintains active collaboration with the Centre for Health Services and Clinical Research and Centre for Research in Psychology and Sport Science, leading interdisciplinary teams focused on embedding equity in quality improvement frameworks and co-produced mental health interventions for marginalized patient groups.
