Paudyal, Priyamvada

Biography

Prof Priyamvada (Priya) Paudyal joined Keele University in November 2022 as the Professor in Public Health and Director of the Institute for Global Health and Wellbeing. Priya is the first female professor in the UK from a Nepalese background. Prior to Keele, Priya worked at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School as Senior Lecturer (May 2019-Oct 2022), Lecturer (Aug 2015-April 2019) and Research Fellow (March 2013-July 2015). She previously held postdoctoral positions at the University of Aberdeen and University of Plymouth.

Priya completed her primary and high school education in Nepal and moved to the UK in 2005 to undertake a master’s degree in public health at the University of Aberdeen. Priya’s PhD project explored the respiratory health of Nepalese cotton textile workers in relation to dust and endotoxin exposure. Following the completion of her PhD in 2011 from Aberdeen, Priya has been engaged in a wide range of public health and global health related research and teaching activities. Her current research centres around ethnicity and migration, with a particular focus on co-production, implementation and evaluation of public health interventions.

Research and scholarship

Priya’s research interests focus on the health and wellbeing of marginalised and vulnerable populations. She is interested in addressing ethnic disparities in health and healthcare and works closely with ethnic minority communities in the UK. Specific project includes co-production of mental health resilience resources and co-development of culturally sensitive healthcare information in relation to COVID-19 (see project details here). Her international work focuses on mental health and wellbeing of asylum seekers, refugees, and migrant workers.

Priya has methodological expertise in co-production, implementation and evaluation of public health interventions. She is interested in using storytelling approach in public health research. She has led an interdisciplinary international project and co-produced culturally adaptive storytelling intervention to support the health and wellbeing of Nepalese migrant workers in Gulf Countries (see project details here).  Priya is also keen in evidence synthesis; she is a Cochrane trained systematic reviewer and has published several systematic reviews, including a Cochrane review as a lead author.

Priya has academic partnerships in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and the Bahamas. Her work is mostly funded by the Global Challenge Research Fund, the National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration, and the British Cotton Growing Association.

Teaching

Priya currently supervises a number of PhD and Professional Doctorate students and international training fellows. Previously at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Priya was course lead for the MSc Public Health (2015-2022). She has led several MPH modules including Epidemiology, Principles and Practice of Public Health and Global Public Health. Priya has supervised over 30 masters and undergraduate students to date.