Dr Rachel Tolhurst
- Professor, International Public Health
Biography
Rachel Tolhurst has more than 25 years’ experience of research, training and partnership on equity, social determinants of health and health systems strengthening in Africa and Asia. Her research has focused on social drivers of inequities in health and well-being and health systems. This includes intersections between gender equity, poverty and disability, with regard to a wide range of health issues, including TB and lung-health, anti-microbial resistance maternal, sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence. Her current research focus is equity in urban health.
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Research interests
Rachel’s research focuses on inequities in urban health, taking an intersectional perspective and a community based participatory research approach, working with disadvantaged people living in cities to hold governments and other stakeholders to account for realising their rights to health and wellbeing. She currently collaborates with partners in Bangladesh, Kenya, India, Nepal and Sierra Leone as well as in the Liverpool City Region. This work includes improving health services and multi-sectoral responses to climate change in urban informal settlements and taking a creative health approach to tackle health inequities in Liverpool, Knowsley and Sefton.
Teaching
Rachel jointly lead two master’s modules, teaching on social determinants of health, equity, decolonisation and urban health, and qualitative research methods. She supervises PhDs using qualitative and participatory methods to explore issues concerning equity in urban health.
Selected research publications
Household determinants of healthcare utilisation in three informal settlements in Freetown, Sierra Leone a cross-sectional survey – Journal: BMJ Open – Published: 3rd March 2026
Patient and public involvement, engagement, and participation in practice: co-production of a creative health approach and theory of change through the ReCITE consortium-building project in Liverpool – Journal: Research Involvement and Engagement – Published: 26th February 2026
“People here live in denial”: A qualitative study of the pervasive impact of stigma on asthma diagnosis and care in Kenya and Sudan – Journal: PLOS Global Public Health – Published: 16th December 2025
“The system brought beauty to our community”: Evaluating the impact of a physical address system in Mathare informal settlement, Nairobi, through ripple effect mapping – Journal: Journal of Community Systems for Health – Published: 23rd June 2025
Gender and (In) Security in African Cities: A Crosscutting Report – Published: 1st April 2025
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