Dr Nisha Dhanda PhD, FRSPH, M.Ed., SFHEA, FBSA, PG. Dip., BSc (Hons)

Dr Nisha Dhanda

Department of Applied Health Sciences
Associate Professor of Public Health
Programme Director – MSc Global Health

Contact details

Email
n.s.dhanda@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
Department of Applied Health Sciences
School of Health Sciences
Murray Learning Centre
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
B15 2TT

Nisha has over 10 years of experience working in Higher Education, with a strong commitment to student-centred teaching and a genuine passion for supporting student success beyond graduation. She is excited to return to the University of Birmingham to launch the MSc Global Health programme. Nisha is proud to be part of the dynamic Department of Applied Health Sciences, where there is a dedicated focus on driving impactful global health initiatives and improving health outcomes.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Health and Life Sciences (Aston University)
  • M.Ed. in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (Aston University)
  • PG. Dip in Rehabilitative Audiology (Queen Margaret University)
  • BSc (Hons) in Audiology (University of Manchester)

Biography

Nisha is a Clinical Audiologist with a strong expertise in Public Health. Her career spans diverse roles, including clinical practice, teaching, and leadership in Audiology. She has served as Programme Director for an undergraduate BSc Audiology programme and led the Public and Global Health teaching stream for Phase 1 of the MBChB at Aston Medical School. Internationally, she has contributed to global public health research and education in the Middle East (Qatar and UAE) and worked on health technology surveillance with NICE.

In 2022, Nisha played a pivotal role in launching the MPH programme at the University of Birmingham's Dubai campus, where she served as Deputy Programme Director and Senior Tutor/Head of Student Engagement for the entire campus. Currently, she is an Associate Professor of Public Health, leading the MSc Global Health programme.

Nisha’s research is rooted in addressing critical public health challenges. Her mixed-methods PhD explored the impact of social isolation on older adults living with hearing loss and dementia, highlighting a pressing global health concern. She is a passionate advocate for Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in research, incorporating PPI in her PhD and subsequently leading the PPI stream for an NIHR programme to develop the first Patient Reported Experience Measure in Audiology.

Nisha also serves as an External Examiner for the University of Liverpool’s online MPH programme. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, committed to providing an enhanced student experience through exceptional teaching quality.

Teaching

  • MSc Global Health programme director
  • MPH module lead: Practical Epidemiology and Statistics
  • MPH tutor: Epidemiology, Statistics and Research Methods
  • MPH Dissertation Supervisor
  • MBChB project supervisor and session tutor
  • IPHM module lead: Health Inequalities

Other activities

  • Registered with Health and Care Professions Council
  • Fellow of British Society of Audiology
  • Member of British Academy of Audiology
  • Fellow of Royal Society of Public Health

Publications

Recent publications

Book

Rana, KS, Flavell, CR, Gough, J, Alvey, E, Mahomed, A & Dhanda, N (eds) 2025, Advancing equity: exploring EDI in Higher Education Institutes. Frontiers research topics, Frontiers. https://doi.org/10.3389/978-2-8325-6632-9

Article

Pryce, H, Dhanda, N & Straus, J 2025, 'Exploring the purpose and stages of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in audiology research: a case study approach', Research Involvement and Engagement, vol. 11, 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-025-00672-9

Dhanda, N, Hall, A, Martin, J & Pryce, H 2025, 'Investigating associations between hearing, cognition, and social isolation using the Hertfordshire Ageing Study', Frontiers in public health, vol. 13, 1658569. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1658569

Smith, SK, Burns-O'Connell, G, Knibb, R, Greenwood, R, Hussain, S, Shaw, R, Straus, J, Banks, J, Hall, A, Dhanda, N, Noble, S & Pryce, H 2024, 'Development of the first Patient‐Reported Experience Measure (PREM) for hearing loss in audiology care—My Hearing PREM', Health Expectations, vol. 27, no. 6, e70088. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.70088

Dhanda, N & Pryce, H 2023, 'An ethnography study exploring factors that influence social isolation in care home residents living with dementia and hearing loss', BMC Geriatrics, vol. 23, no. 1, 593. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04296-0

Hussain, S, Wilkes, C & Dhanda, N 2023, 'Shared decision making: audiology student perspectives', Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences, vol. 4, 1254836. https://doi.org/10.3389/fresc.2023.1254836

Dhanda, N & Taheri, S 2017, 'A narrative review of obesity and hearing loss', International journal of obesity (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.32

Chapter

Pryce, H & Dhanda, N 2022, Older People and Hearing. in FM Ross, R Harris, JM Fitzpatrick & C Abley (eds), Redfern's Nursing Older People. 5th edn, Elsevier, pp. 223-236. <https://shop.elsevier.com/books/redferns-nursing-older-people/ross/978-0-7020-8246-7>

Preprint

Scaria, EB & Dhanda, N 2025 'Association of road traffic noise exposure with dementia or cognitive impairment – a systematic review of longitudinal cohort studies' medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.11.25335584

Review article

Dhanda, N & Scaria, E 2025, 'Dementia and communication comorbidities within the context of caregiver support systems: a scoping review', BMC Geriatrics, vol. 25, no. 1, 995. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-025-06622-0

Dhanda, N, Hall, A & Martin, J 2024, 'Does social isolation mediate the association between hearing loss and cognition in adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies', Frontiers in public health, vol. 12, 1347794. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1347794

View all publications in research portal