Image: The Health Ambassadors from left to right: Zia Haque; Louise Hill-Davis; Trace Mulzac; Sayambrita Mukherjee; Samina Baig; Alina Fieroiu
UWE Bristol is at the forefront of developing innovative, community-led approaches to inclusive health research through its Health Research Ambassadors model.
The Challenge
Health research often excludes the very communities most affected by poor health outcomes. Structural barriers such as language; cultural differences; and traditional consultation processes, mean people from global majority and under-served communities are underrepresented. This creates gaps in both research relevance and equity. Deep rooted conscious or unconscious bias also plays a part in widening the gap between researchers and members of under-served communities.
The UWE Bristol Approach
Building on insights from community engagement models like the Black and Green Ambassadors scheme, UWE Bristol researchers Dr Andy Gibson and Dr Carmel McGrath developed the Health Research Ambassadors initiative to bridge the gap between diverse communities and the health and care research sector in Bristol and surrounding regions. Health Ambassadors often adopt an unconventional approach to engage with community members, including one to one conversations, catch ups over a hot drink and participating in festivals and community events to build meaningful relationships.
With initial funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), UWE Bristol piloted the approach with asylum seekers, successfully engaging communities around physical and mental health. The model has since evolved into a major regional programme through partnerships with Caafi Health, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board, and People in Health West of England, co-led by UWE Bristol.
Scaling Impact
The programme, now managed by Caafi Health, has gone from strength to strength. When the Research Health Ambassadors project formally launched, it began with three ambassadors. Over the following two years, it experienced significant expansion, growing to six ambassadors and extending its geographical reach beyond Bristol into South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. The ambassadors have increasingly taken leadership roles, representing community voices in steering groups, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement panels, and research design committees.
Driven by UWE Bristol’s leadership, the programme has grown in scope, expanding from a small pilot to a regional network across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
The programme has supported over 100 research collaborations with universities, NHS organisations, and NIHR infrastructure e.g. Biomedical Research Centre: Bristol and the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Evaluation and Behavioural Science.
The Health Ambassadors scheme has also extended to serve other extended to other under-served groups, including disabled communities.
“Caafi Health ambassadors add real value from the very start of a research project.
Their ability to bring together diverse voices, create a welcoming environment, and support communication and trust enables open, inclusive discussions where everyone feels heard.
They represent the gold standard of inclusive PPIE and are essential in ensuring that research outputs truly reflect the needs of all.”
Sayambrita Mukherjee, Health Ambassador
The Role of Health Ambassadors
Health ambassadors are recruited from underserved communities and provided with training and support to enable them to act as a trusted two-way bridge with the world of academia. They:
- Shape research questions and design to reflect lived experience
- Improve culturally competent recruitment and engagement
- Facilitate workshops, focus groups, and outreach
- Share findings back to communities to build trust and impact
- Build longer connections with the world of academia
- Maintain ongoing support to the community members by understanding the effects of changing national and world political situations that have a deep impact on under-served communities and their willingness to be involved in research.
Impact
UWE Bristol’s leadership has:
- Increased participation from underrepresented communities
- Improved the quality and cultural relevance of research
- Strengthened trust between communities and researchers
- Influenced regional and national approaches to inclusive research
The initiative was recognised with the HSR UK Award for Innovation in Inclusion (2023), highlighting its role in tackling long-standing inequalities in research participation.
Why It Matters
By embedding community expertise into every stage of research, UWE Bristol is redefining how health research is conducted, ensuring it is equitable, collaborative, and impactful.
By creating environments where people can express their opinions, share their lived experiences and where their struggles are genuinely heard, we can create a sense of hope and empowerment, leading to lasting change for both researchers and people in under-served communities.