Rusham Zahra Rana
PhD Student
Profile
Biography
Rusham Zahra Rana's PhD in Health Sciences at the University of York examines health worker attitudes, beliefs, and practices related to tobacco use and cessation among people with severe mental illness, with a focus on Pakistan and similar low and middle income settings. Through a mixed methods approach, including a scoping review, a national survey, and qualitative interviews, the project aims to generate evidence that can inform contextually appropriate tobacco cessation strategies within mental health services.
Alongside this, Rusham's career progression reflects a trajectory from clinical and research training in clinical and health psychology to leading collaborative research, mentoring early career researchers, and contributing to global discussions on mental health and public health interventions.
Qualifications
- BSc (Hons) Psychology
- MSc Clinical and Health Psychology
Research
Overview
Rusham's research interests centre on mental health and public health intersections, with a particular focus on tobacco use among people with severe mental illness. I am interested in understanding health worker attitudes and behaviours, and how these shape the implementation of tobacco cessation support in mental health settings, especially within Pakistan and other low and middle income contexts.
Projects
- Scoping review and online survey on attitudes, beliefs and practices of health workers towards tobacco cessation in people with SMI
Research group(s)
External activities
Memberships
- Vice President, Pakistan EMDR Association