Miss Shahreen Chowdhury

Biography

Shahreen Chowdhury is a public health researcher and social scientist specialising in implementation research, with a particular focus on disability inclusive and rights-based approaches to health systems strengthening. She is a Research Associate in the MIND research group at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, where her work centres on the co-production, implementation, and evaluation of health programmes. Her work spans areas such as early case detection and chronic illness management, including NTDs, disability inclusion and the integration of mental health and psychosocial support into health systems.

She holds a Master of Public Health in International Development from the University of Sheffield and diverse NGO experience in community health initiatives, across WASH, maternal health, and broader public health programs.

Shahreen is passionate about participatory research and advancing equitable approaches to co-production that centre the knowledge, agency and priorities of people with lived experience. Her PhD research explores strategies to mainstream the rights of people with psychosocial disabilities in fragile and conflict-affected settings in Bangladesh and Liberia.

She has extensive experience in qualitative and creative participatory methodologies, and has led the design and delivery of projects using photovoice, storytelling, and arts-based methods. Shahreen is committed to building equitable partnerships and collaborative research approaches that embed lived experience across the design, delivery and evaluation of health interventions. Her work is grounded in health justice, with a focus on addressing structural inequities and advancing more inclusive and responsive health systems.

Research interests

Shahreen has a particular interest in the intersection between disability and mental health, with a focus on community based participatory research. She has worked extensively on implementation research within neglected tropical disease (NTD) programs across West Africa and South Asia, aiming to strengthen person-centred and disability inclusive health systems. She is interested in how co-production, participatory approaches can amplify the priorities of underrepresented groups, particularly those affected by chronic illness and disability.

Teaching

Shahreen teaches across a range of public and global health modules, with a focus on research methodologies, disability, gender and equity, health systems, and sexual and reproductive health. She specialises in qualitative and participatory research methods and is particularly interested in research-informed teaching that bridges theory and practice.

She co-led and co-authored the LSTM Toolkit on Participatory Methods: Supporting Equitable Partnerships in Global Health and has designed and delivered training on participatory research for the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM). As a personal tutor and MSc dissertation supervisor, she supports students in developing research projects on topics including NTDs, mental health, disability and co-production. She is an accredited Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Selected research publications

Biopsychosocial challenges of spinal cord injury survivors in Bangladesh: a qualitative investigation – Journal: BMC Public Health – Published: 25th November 2025

The role of informal health providers in the management of neglected tropical diseases in Liberia: A participatory investigation – Journal: SSM – Health Systems – Published: 6th September 2025

Representation, activism, health promotion, and communication The role of art in advancing global health and social justice – Journal: PLOS Global Public Health – Published: 23rd July 2025

Community-based models for neglected tropical diseases affecting the skin: a scoping review – Journal: Frontiers in Tropical Diseases – Published: 27th February 2025

‘The Lost Peace’: Evidencing the Syndemic Relationship between Neglected Tropical Diseases and Mental Distress in Liberia – Journal: Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease – Published: 17th August 2024

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