Shaffa Hameed

Shaffa Hameed is an Assistant Professor at the International Centre for Evidence in Disability (ICED) at LSHTM. Prior to joining ICED, Shaffa undertook a number of qualitative and policy research commissioned by international and local NGOs in the Maldives, contributing to regional and local understanding of social and religious barriers to reproductive health. Her work at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) focused on evaluating programmes and research on sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender-based violence, with emphasis on strengthening institutional response to these. The common thread throughout Shaffa’s research career has been sexual and reproductive health and rights of vulnerable groups, based on which she completed her doctorate at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2012.

Affiliations

• Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases
• Department of Clinical Research

Teaching

Shaffa teaches qualitative methods on MSc modules including Global Disability and Health; Sexual Health; and Skills for Field Research in Eye Care. She also provides qualitative analysis support to MSc and PhD students doing qualitative and mixed methods research.

Shaffa is on the supervision team for Jane Wilbur (PhD candidate investigating barriers to menstrual hygiene management among persons with intellectual disabilities in Nepal) and Tim O’ Fallon (DrPH candidate exploring access and use of rehabilitation services and assistive devices among persons with disabilities in the Maldives). She also supervises MSc students.

Research

Shaffa is a qualitative researcher who has worked on a number of qualitative and mixed methods research including:

• Qualitative study exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities in terms health, wellbeing, and social inclusion. This study is being undertaken in the UK in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, with similar studies with in-country collaborators in other global settings such as India and Turkey

• Survey of disability and mental health among Syrian refugees in Sultanbeyli, Istanbul, which included in-depth interviews exploring priority needs, challenges, coping mechanisms, barriers and facilitators to accessing mental health and psychosocial support and rehabilitation

• Impact evaluation of the Disability Allowance in the Maldives, which included a national survey of disability, process evaluation of the programme, and in-depth qualitative research on experience of disability, participation, stigma and quality of life

• National reviews of inclusive policy and employment practices as part of the co-creation phase for the Innovating Pathways for Employment Inclusion (IPEI) project focusing on Kenya and Bangladesh