Dr Qulsom Fazil

Lecturer in Disability Studies and Behavioural Science

Neurotrauma and Neurodegeneration

Contact details

Telephone +44 (0) 415 8119

Email q.a.fazil@bham.ac.uk

School of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
College of Medical and Dental Sciences

About

Qulsom is a social psychologist with an interest in all things human. She is particularly interested in the social and cultural factors that influence psychological illness and mental wellbeing both in terms of the role they play in triggering mental illness and also in terms of presentation of illness Whilst working with families with disabled children in 2000 and 2001 she developed both an academic and personal interest in the way people with disabilities are viewed and treated by the society at large. This has since turned into a passion for disability awareness training and education within health care.    

As well as being a Lecturer at The University of Birmingham, she is also a Non Executive Director at Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust and has just been appointed as an External Examiner at the National University of Ireland in Galway for their BA in Disability and Health programme. 

Qualifications

  • PhD: University of Birmingham
  • BSc (2:1): The Open University

Biography

Qulsom entered higher education as a mature student and did her first degree in psychology as a distance learning programme with The Open University, whilst still working fulltime with Birmingham City Council. She then came to Birmingham University as a part-time student and continued to work fulltime at Birmingham City Council. She did her PhD under the supervision of Professor Raymond Cochrane in the School of Psychology. Her PhD explored Cultural and Social origins of Depression in Pakistani women living in the U.K She then changed careers from working in local government to being an academic and took up a research fellowship post at Coventry University researching and working with families with disabled children and then 18 months later at University of Manchester. At Manchester she led a large study exploring prevalence and origins of depression in the Pakistani population. In 2002 she took up the post of Lecturer at the University of Birmingham. In the same year she was also appointed as a Non-Executive Director for East Birmingham Primary Care Trust. She has been reappointed as Non-Executive Director of Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust.

She was an External Examiner at Lincoln University for 5 years and has newly been appointed as External Examiner at St Angelas College, National University of Ireland, Galway.

Teaching

  • Programme lead on the MSc in Intellectual (Learning) Disabilities Programme.
  • Module Lead for the Distance Learning Research Methods Module (Masters Level)
  • Special study module on Migration and Mental Health.
  • Joint Module Co-ordinator of 2nd year Disability, Chronic illness and Health Services Module.
  • Supervision of BMedSci students on research projects.
  • Supervision of Elective projects

Postgraduate supervision

Qulsom is happy to supervise postgraduate research in the areas of ethnicity and health care. Disability and ethnicity and social and cultural aspects of mental well-being and illness.

Research

Dr Fazil’s research has been in the area of ethnicity, disability and health. She has carried out research on the needs of Pakistani and Bangladeshi families with disabled children. The role of advocacy services in disability health provision and cancer care provision for people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The health and social care needs and service provision of people from minority communities such as high attenders in primary care who are from a Pushtuun background and family members affected by close relatives drug problems. 

Publications

Fazil,Q., Bywaters, P., Ali Z., Wallace, L., Singh, G. (2002) Disadvantage and Discrimination Compounded: The experience of Pakistani and Bangladeshi families of disabled children in the U.K. Disability and Society. Vol. 17, No. 3, pp 237-253.

Ali, Z., Bywaters, P., Fazil, Q., Wallace, L., Singh, G. (2003) Attitudes towards disability amongst Muslim parents of disabled children in the UK: Considerations for service providers and the disability movement.  Health and Social Care in the Community, 11, 6, 502-509.

Fazil, Q., Cochrane R (2003) Social and Cultural Origins of Depression in Pakistani women Pakistani Journal of Women’s Studies. Vol. 10 No. 1. pp21-30.

Fazil, Q., Wallace, L., Singh, G., Ali. Z., Bywaters, P. (2004) Empowerment and Advocacy – Reflections on action research with Bangladeshi and Pakistani families with severely disabled children. Health and Social Care in the Community, 12, 5, 385-397.

Mann, C., Fazil Q. (2006) Mental illness in Asylum Seekers and Refugees. Primary Care Mental Health Journal.  Vol 4. 1, pp 57-66.

Fazil Q., Wallace, L., Hussain A. (2006) An exploration of the explanatory models of illness amongst Pushtuun families who are high attenders in General Practice living in the U.K. Diversity in Health and Social Care 3,3. pp 171-181 .

Orford, J. Copello, A. Simon, A. Waheed, H. Fazil, Q. Graham, H. Mahmood, M. McNeil S. Roberts, G. (2010) Offering a service to BME family members affected by close relatives’ drug problems. (In) Responding to Drug Misuse: Research and Policy Priorities in Health and Social Care.( Eds) Macgregor, S. Rouledge.

Fazil, Q.,  P Bywaters, P., Ali, Z., Wallace, L., Singh.G. (2010). Disadvantage and discrimination compounded; The experience of Pakistani and Bangladeshi families with disabled children, chapter no 13 (In Inclusive Education: Learners and Learning Context 2, M Nind, K Sheehy, K Simmons (Editors), London, David Fulton, 137-151, ISBN 978-0-415 58424-1. , M Nind, K Sheehy, K Simmons (Editors), London, David Fulton, 137-151, ISBN 978-0-415 58424-1.

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