Supporting refugee & asylum-seeking birthing people/parents

Principal Investigator

I’m a psychiatrist and also conduct research into mental illness. I am leading the UPLIFT project and my main role is to help support the team delivering this project. I really hope it that through uplift we can not only provide a fantastic resource for asylum seeking and refugee mothers, but also understand their challenges of experiencing mental illness during motherhood so we can provide better care in the future.

Co-investigator, Perinatal mental health specialist

I am Gopi Narayan and work as a consultant perinatal psychiatrist in the Yorkshire and Humber mother and baby unit. Accessing mental health support can be difficult for many people but can be even more daunting for the marginalised ,and UPLIFT will enable us to understand these barriers help address them.

Co-Investigator, Focus Groups/ Workshops Lead

I’m Amanda Firth. I am midwife,researcher and parent. I work with Zoe Darwin at the University of Huddersfield and I do research about ways that we can make maternity services better for women who use them. Most of my work is about improving experiences of forced migrant women and women who do not speak fluent English, looking at ways that we can help women to discuss their mental health and get appropriate mental health support too. I am especially passionate about working with women to design and undertake research together, so that women’s voices are included and listened to in all parts of the research process.

Dr. Huma Khan is a Social Media Advisor at UPLIFT and a Resident Doctor in Psychiatry. She also serves as an ethics advisor at an international feminist research hub.

She has a particular interest in how non-English languages express emotional health, and how these nuances can inform more inclusive approaches to mental healthcare in communities .

Charity Partner

As a Senior Project Manager, I attend well-being sessions at Urban House (initial accommodation centre in Wakefield) to meet pregnant women and mothers and create links with support groups locally and in areas where they might be dispersed. I Organise and run weekly online support groups with guest speakers for specific topics around mental health. In my role, I aim to contribute to the research by recruiting participants for the study at different stages. My experience from being a refugee allows me an extra empathetic approach, understanding of sensitive issues and cultural barriers.

Expert by Experience

I’m a law student and an Expert by Experience, drawing on my own journey of navigating mental health services. In the UPLIFT project, my role is to bring lived experience into the heart of our work, ensuring that the voices of asylum-seeking and refugee mothers are heard and valued. I hope that through UPLIFT we can not only provide meaningful support for women facing these challenges, but also deepen understanding so that future care for mothers experiencing mental illness is more compassionate and effective.

Research and social media Communications Officer

My role focuses on leading community engagement through social media, podcasts, and creative content, while supporting research that improves perinatal mental health care for asylum seekers and refugee women.

Perinatal mental health and inclusion specialist

I work as a Clinical Inclusion Coordinator for the Perinatal Mental Health Service. A key part of my role in the UPLIFT Project is to provide a cultural and inclusive lens to colleagues during the delivery of this project to make sure we meet the needs of our Asylum Seeking and Refugee communities. I also support the team to raise awareness, break down cultural barriers/norms that can often stop mothers and birthing people from our diverse communities getting the help they need for their emotional health and well-being during pregnancy and after giving birth.