DrCaroline Ackley

My research sits at the intersection of medical anthropology and global public health. I have a particular interest in women's health with expertise in anthropological and qualitative methods in interdisciplinary settings. I enjoy working on participatory and creative research projects, and have partnered with local community groups in the Horn of Africa and in Brighton on several projects.

I was previously a Knoweldge Exchange and Impact Fellow at the University of Sussex.  


Current research:

Perspectives on the Return of Health Information in Research Studies

An exploratory study that examines participant and clinician perspectives on the implications and potential uses of health information generated through research studies. While return of results is specified in participant information and consent forms, participants are likely to have different understandings of the nature of the analyses that are undertaken and whether they will receive any individual feedback about their results to inform clinical care or further research.

The Visible Other-Mother

Building on The 'Good Enough' Other-Mother, this project amplifies LGBTQ+ non-gestational mothers' experiences of invisibility, discrimination, and mental distress. In partnership with Release Counselling and Therapy for Women and University of Brighton colleagues, we are expanding therapeutic photovoice and creative writing groups to reach more participants. Public outputs include a curated exhibition and panel at the Coast is Queer Literary Festival, driving policy-relevant impact. This ambitious work addresses urgent local health needs amid crisis, systemic failure, and clinical mandate. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Impact Acceleration Account (IAA).

Inclusive Research Training Project for People Affected by Leprosy

With The Leprosy Mission India and Great Britain, this project trains persons with lived experience of leprosy living in India on principles of social action research. It enables them to develop their own project, apply for ethical approval, conduct their own research, analyse it, and present in different forums. Further, through the project the core TLM-India staff involved in the project will receive ToT training and support to enable them to facilitate similar training and research projects for future cohorts of peer researchers.

Selected previous research:

NIHR Global Health Research Unit on NTDs

I am currently working on two strands of research in the NIHR GHRU. The first is a study on community engagement and involvement (CEI) in practice. I am collecting case studies from Unit practitioners in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Sudan. The second study is on conducting and sustaining research in a crisis. I am collecting data from Unit professional staff and researchers on their experiences and activities of doing research during the war in Sudan and conflict in Ethiopia.

‘Dear Britian, …’: Young, unaccompanied asylum seekers use documentary film to tell their stories

In collaboration with the Bright Foundation, East Sussex County Council, and the Virtual School for Children in Care we aim to use documentary film making as a medium for young, unaccompanied asylum seekers to tell a story. 14–16-year-olds will learn the skills and techniques of documentary film making and editing, and after a series of workshops will make a film to be publicly screened. Funded by the Centre for Arts and Wellbeing.

Public and Community Engagement Fellow with the Sussex Knowledge Exchange and Impact Programme
Project title: Connecting Communities: Intergenerational Engagement Through Film
This project engages three generations in themes of belonging and life in Britain through film. It brings early years children, young people, and older people together to creatively explore social challenges that affect them.

The ‘good enough’ Other-mother: experiences of early motherhood for non-gestational mothers in same-sex couples in Brighton
In collaboration with Mother Nurture, a 10-week therapeutic course for new mums, this project explored the possibilities and limits of the ‘good enough’ mother amongst non-gestational mothers, or the Other-mother, in same-sex couples. Photovoice aided exploration of feeling ‘good enough’ alongside therapeutic workshops to develop long term support. Funded by The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Impact Acceleration Account (IAA). 

Intersecting Stigmas: addressing stigma through public engagement
Through the Sussex Researcher Led Initiative Fund this initiative brought together academics from BSMS and the Stigma Working Group with the public through the medium of film to address stigma. We screened short films on the topic of stigma related to migration and refugee experience to schools and community settings in Brighton and Hove.

PEDAL: Lamivudine (3TC) plus dolutegravir (DTG) dual-therapy: a study on patients’ experiences and perceptions
The project explored patients’ experiences and perceptions of two and three drug regimes to treat HIV in Brighton, UK. https://www.pedalstudy.org.uk/.

Child Health and Mortality Prevention (CHAMPS)
A Bill and Melinda Gates funded six country study in partnership with Emory University and LSHTM aimed at understanding and preventing child and maternal deaths. Worked closely with a multidisciplinary team consisting of paediatricians, obstetricians, nutritionists, epidemiologists, microbiologists, and lab pathologists.

Unlocking the Silence on Stillbirth
A Wellcome Trust funded study on maternal infection and stillbirth with a team of six Ethiopian social scientists. Implemented the participatory method of theatre for development in secondary schools, Hiwot Fana Hospital, and health centres Eastern Hararghe, Ethiopia on the topic of stillbirth. Developed a weekly health radio program in two languages that includes radio drama on community experiences of stillbirth, which airs on Radio Fana across Eastern Hararghe, Ethiopia.

Reconstructing Somalia’s Failed Nation State: Paths to Peace Building
A research study with Dr. Rahma Abdulkadir into the views of Somali women and men on proposed trajectories of political development.