Dr Reuben Larbi
Research Fellow - Health Determinants of Research Collaboration (HDRC)Profile
I am currently on secondment at the Blackpool Council on a National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC). The purpose of the project is to help enable local authorities to become more research-active and to make evidence-informed decisions by undertaking research and evaluation relating to their activities, including synthesising and mobilising existing evidence. My research focus is socio-ecological determinants of health and wellbeing, particularly in low-income urban settings. I am passionate about addressing the unjust deprivations and socio-economic conditions under which people live, grow and work, and the consequent inequalities in health and wellbeing. I have experience assessing vulnerability of the urban population to climatic and other environmental hazards and implementing feasible adaptation measures in different ecological contexts. My research approach involves multidisciplinary methods that combine qualitative and quantitative techniques with spatial analyses.
Career Details
I joined Lancaster University's Environment Centre (LEC) in 2018 after my PhD in Population Studies at the University of Ghana with a year of Research Fellowship at Yale University, USA. At Lancaster, I initially worked on the RECIRCULATE and ACTUATE projects, which involved engaging a local stakeholder collective to deliver safe circular solution to Africa's water and sanitation problems for improved health in low-income urban settings. I subsequently worked on the Concrete Impacts project which was a supply chain and life cycle analysis of the US military's environmental footprint. The research examined the socio-ecological impacts of US military's combat operations in Iraq. These multidisciplinary research projects have deepened my understanding of the wider environmental and socio-economic determinants of human health and wellbeing. My research interest and approach are shaped by my training in Biomedical Engineering and Population Studies followed by postdoctoral experience in an interdisciplinary research context.
Environmental Research Communications (Journal)
Editorial activity
Born into care - Children's Services File Analysis
Invited talk
AHEAD (African headteachers unite schools into a circular sanitation learning hub)
Symposium
HDRC learning event
Types of Public engagement and outreach - Festival/Exhibition
Military Emissions Gap conference
Invited talk
Environmental Research Letters (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Blackpool HDRC launch
Festival/Exhibition/Concert
Blackpool Council, Number One, Bickerstaffe Square, Talbot Road, FY1 3AH (External organisation)
Membership of committee
International Research Networking and Engagement (Ghana)
Types of External academic engagement - Hosting an academic visitor
PLoS ONE (Journal)
Editorial activity
COVID-19 reveals value of early local ownership of international development research
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Military Emissions Gap Panel Discussion
Oral presentation
Roundtable discussion on Nature-based solutions to climate change in Africa
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
BRAC University
Visiting an external academic institution
GeoHealth (Journal)
Editorial activity
Environmental Research Letters (Journal)
Publication peer-review