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Staff Profiles

Dr Tash Fothergill-Misbah

Research Associate

  • Email: tash.fothergill-misbah@ncl.ac.uk
  • Address: Population Health Sciences Institute
    Baddiley Clark Building
    Newcastle University
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    NE2 4BN
Background

Dr Natasha Fothergill-Misbah is a Postdoctoral Research Associate working in the field of Global Public Health. In her previous post, she was a Lecturer in Gerontology based in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Southampton. Her research mainly uses qualitative methods and has focussed around ageing and gerontology (mainly in Africa), Parkinson’s disease, stigma, access to healthcare, and climate change and health. Natasha is also interested in how research can influence policy, consults for the World Health Organization Brain Health Unit, and is involved with Parkinson’s advocacy organisations and activities around the world. 

Positions and Responsibilities

Regional Liaison for sub-Saharan Africa and Editorial Committee member, Journal of Global Ageing (https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/journals/journal-of-global-ageing)

Committee member, British Geriatric Society (BGS) Research and Development Committee (https://www.bgs.org.uk/research)

Steering Committee, British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Special Interest Group on Ageing in Africa, Asia and Latin America (https://www.britishgerontology.org/about-bsg/special-interest-groups/ageing-in-africa-asia-and-latin-america)

Committee on Equality of Access to Care, International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society

Qualifications

DrPH Graduate Class Climate Change and Public Health Problem Solving, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

PhD Global Health, Newcastle University - 'The lived experience of Parkinson's disease in Kenya: sociality, improvisation and hope'

Short Course Ageing in Africa, University of Southampton

PGCert Research Training Methods, Newcastle University

MSc Public Health (Global Health), Newcastle University

BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences, Newcastle University

Awards

The Tom Isaacs Award 2023 for 'Innovation in Parkinson's research to positively impact the lives of people living with Parkinson's and involve them in a participatory way in their investigations' by Cure Parkinson's Trust and Van Andel Institute (https://cureparkinsons.org.uk/2023/09/2023-tom-isaacs-award-honours-dr-natasha-fothergill-misbah/)

Winner of Newcastle University Engagement and Place Awards 'Engaging for Health and Wellbeing' Category 2025 (https://www.ncl.ac.uk/who-we-are/engagement/awards/)

Shortlisted in Newcastle University Engagement and Place Awards 'Engaging Globally' Category 2024 (https://www.ncl.ac.uk/who-we-are/engagement/awards)

Highly commended Newcastle University Alumni Achievement Award in the ‘Outstanding global, intercultural and EDI contribution’ category 2024 (https://www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/news/item/alumni-achievement-winners-2024/)

Award-winning documentary producer 'Shaking Hands With The Devil' (www.shakinghandsfilm.com)

Award-winning documentary producer 'UHURU' (www.uhurufilm.com)

Media

Newcastle University From Blog on perceptions of Parkinson's disease in Africa (https://from.ncl.ac.uk/witchcraft-and-demons-perceptions-of-parkinsons-disease-in-africa)

MDS podcast episode on stigma for World Movement Disorders Day 2024 (https://www.movementdisorders.org/Podcasts/World-Movement-Disorders-Day---Stigma-in-movement-disorders.htm)

Interview for Davis Phinney Foundation on Parkinson's stigma and medication access in Africa (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2-OrxTUnsw)

Interview on BBC Breakfast about 'Shaking Hands With The Devil' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao7CUF4E7SQ&t=1s)

Interview for MDS Moving Along newsletter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrdgQMww9k0)

Short film on TraPCAf (https://uhurufilm.com/trapcaf)

Interview for KBC on Understanding Parkinson's disease (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKdGov6Q5IQ)

Research

My research focusses on Parkinson’s disease and ageing in sub-Saharan Africa. My academic background is interdisciplinary, combining biomedical sciences, anthropology, global health, gerontology and public health.

British Academy ODA interdisciplinary project 'A canvas for change' (2024-2026): Principal Investigator on a British Academy funded project to produce a community-based awareness campaign in Kenya to tackle stigma, which will be informed by, and co-created with, people with lived experience of neurological disorders. Find out more here: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/projects/a-canvas-for-change-co-producing-art-to-reduce-the-stigma-of-neurological-disorders-in-kenya/

NIHR Global Health Research Group 'Transforming Parkinson's Care in Africa (TraPCAf)' (2020-2026): Research Associate, working across 7 African countries to improve the diagnosis, treatment and care of Parkinson's. Follow the grant's Twitter page to keep up to date with this work @trapcaf_project or visit our website www.research.ncl.ac.uk/trapcaf

Climate change in Ghana (2022-2023): Pilot project in rural Ghana to develop participatory approaches to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices of vulnerable groups around sustainable health development amid climate change. I'm interested in how climate change is affecting older people in LMICs, but also how older people can be empowered to tackle the climate crisis and be agents of change in the climate movement.

Rollercoaster project (2021): Research Fellow post at Northumbria University working with the Children and Young People's Mental Health team, evaluating Rollercoaster, a support group for parents/carers of children and young people with mental health difficulties in the North East of England. This work utilised ethnographic methods and a realist approach.

ESRC funded doctoral research 'Lived experience of Parkinson’s disease in Kenya' (2016-2020): PhD research through the Northern Ireland and North East Doctoral Training Partnership (NINE DTP). The project involved 1 year of ethnographic fieldwork across Kenya, exploring how people navigated life with Parkinson’s, from diagnosis through to the end of life. This research involved people with Parkinson’s, their families, caregivers, healthcare professionals, as well as herbal and religious healers, identifying the roles of sociality, improvisation and hope in living with, and managing Parkinson’s disease.


Teaching

I am a full-time researcher and open to supervising new PhD students.

Current doctoral student supervision:

Etain Devenney (DclinPsy) 'Exploring stigma related to Parkinson's in Kenya'

Charlotte Brown (PhD) 'An investigation of the effectiveness of arts-based methods in addressing health-related stigma of Parkinson's disease'

Seblewongel Asmare (PhD) 'Association of genotype and phenotype in Parkinson's disease dementia in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia'

Jack Lumsdon (PhD) 'Cross-contextual comparison of physical activity levels in people with Parkinson's in the UK and Ghana'


Currently supervise global health dissertation projects for MSc and MRes courses.

In my previous role as Lecturer in Gerontology I taught modules on: Ageing in Africa; Policy Evaluation for Ageing Societies; Researching Ageing Societies; Quantitative Research Methods; and Perspectives in Gerontology.

Publications