PhD Fellows

Katrina Messiha

Beneficiary Placement:

Amsterdam University Medical Centres

PhD Topic:

Theory-based principles for co-creation in Public Health

Bio:

Originally from the United Kingdom, I achieved a Distinction in my Master of Science degree in Social Policy and Social Research from University College London (UCL), in 2020. Prior to that, in 2018, I obtained a First-Class Honours in my Bachelor of Science degree in Population and Geography from the University of Southampton.

I have a passion for improving the lives of diverse populations through research and policy development. My MSc dissertation was a qualitative study exploring the recent phenomenon of co-residence among ‘boomerangs’ and their mothers in England, thematically analysing the findings through the structure-agency nexus. This was pursued to provide policy related improvements, in addition to aligning with White’s (1994) recommendations for future work along this line of inquiry. Further, I have quantitative exposure, such as through my BSc dissertation which focused on modelling a binary logistic regression about concealed households. Using contemporary Labour Force Survey (LFS) data in England and Wales, it considered the factors associated with the probability of a concealed household existing, incorporating variables such as employment status and ethnicity.

I have enjoyed many roles outside of the university realm – from data analytics to consultancy. My other interests comprise painting, travelling, and writing poetry.

I am enthusiastic about joining the Health Cascade project. My attraction to this project stems from my pursuits during my Master’s degree, pertaining to some modules on the role of inclusive research and policy. For illustration, I based one of my assignments on Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) policy and concluded that the bureaucratic elements of how PPI is performed can interfere with true power and decision-making among stakeholders – as was the case when analysing the NHS’s (2015) PPI policy. As a result, the notion of adopting co-creation when it comes to public health sparked a massive interest. In principle, this means that stakeholders can achieve true partnership and empowerment in ways that affect their everyday life.

As a problem solver – and knowing that co-creation is merely an overstated word with limited systematic thinking about it – I feel a calling to be in the privileged position to develop both the theory and methodology underpinning the notion of co-creation. This reinforces what brought me into the Social Sciences discipline in the first place: my passion for reducing inequalities, and therefore enabling a fairer society, including a higher quality of life for diverse populations.