Mrs Mandeep Kaur Ubhi

• MSc in Psychological Research Methods, University of Nottingham, 2009
• PG (dip) in Psychology, University of Nottingham, 2008
• BA (Hons) Psychology and Educational Development, Nottingham Trent University, 2005

Mandeep’s broader research has centred on ethnic inequalities in health and the barriers faced by racially minoritised communities when accessing care. She has worked on projects focused on preventing diabetes in South Asian populations (University of Nottingham), understanding the employment experiences of South Asian lupus patients in the UK (University of Birmingham), and exploring neuropsychiatric experiences of Black and ethnic minority patients with lupus (University of Cambridge). Mandeep has led the development of culturally-sensitive educational resources in Hindi and Panjabi, based on the findings of her qualitative work in the areas of lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, creating videos for the LUPUS UK and National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society platforms. Mandeep has also worked as an Associate Lecturer at The University of Wolverhampton, delivering online teaching for students studying on the MSc Psychology programme.

Validation of a Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) Risk Prediction Model

Mandeep is validating a clinical risk prediction model for GDM using datasets from Birmingham, India, and China. This project aims to assess the model’s performance across different populations to support earlier identification of women at risk and promote more personalised antenatal care.

IPPIC External Validation of Birthweight and Fetal Growth Restriction (FGR) Models

As part of the International Prediction of Pregnancy Complications (IPPIC) collaboration, Mandeep is externally validating published models that predict birthweight and fetal growth restriction using individual participant data (IPD) from multiple global cohorts. The study evaluates model performance across diverse settings, including measures of discrimination, calibration, accuracy, and clinical utility.

BRUM MUM Study

This quantitative study investigates the impact of ethnicity and structural disadvantage on maternal outcomes in Birmingham. It builds on the IPPIC work by exploring how local demographic and healthcare factors contribute to disparities in perinatal outcomes among racially minoritised and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups.

Systematic Review on Adolescent Pregnancy and Perinatal Outcomes

Mandeep is conducting a systematic review exploring how adolescent pregnancy is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. The review takes a global perspective and aims to identify key areas where interventions or adaptations to care could help reduce the inequality gap for young mothers.

Public Engagement and Impact

Mandeep is committed to ensuring that her research is shaped by and accessible to those it is designed to benefit. Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) has informed every stage of her work on clinical prediction tools. In June 2024, she co-led a PPIE-focused session at the RCOG Annual Academic Conference, where she presented the IPPIC (International Prediction of Pregnancy Complications) fetal growth restriction (FGR) risk calculator to researchers, clinicians, and public contributors. Feedback gathered during the session on the tool’s acceptability and real-world usefulness has directly informed future development and dissemination plans.

She is also leading the creation of an educational animation in collaboration with Science Animated, a company that specialises in making complex research understandable to the public. The animation explains how the IPPIC FGR and birthweight prediction models were developed and validated, and how they can be used during the booking appointment to support personalised care. PPIE input has played a central role in shaping the content, tone, and presentation of the animation to ensure it is relevant, clear, and meaningful for pregnant women and families.

Mandeep believes that the patient voice should be at the heart of maternity research, especially when developing tools that could influence care pathways. Including those with lived experience helps ensure that innovations are not only clinically robust, but also acceptable, equitable, and practically useful in real-world settings. The final animation will be hosted on a public-facing website that Mandeep is currently developing, which will bring together all IPPIC projects and resources.