Research Insights
Since 2020, I’ve led research that tackles deep-rooted health inequalities and centres the lived experiences of Black, Asian, and other underrepresented communities. My projects span NHS programmes, academic partnerships, and VCSE-led initiatives each rooted in participatory practice, community insight, and cultural fluency.
This work has helped public health leaders, commissioners, and grassroots organisations design strategy that’s inclusive, evidence-based, and grounded in real lives not assumptions. It’s also shaped how I now advise clients: combining robust research methods with lived experience to deliver insight that leads to action. Below is a sample of the research I’ve delivered work that’s informed policy, strengthened strategy, and brought communities closer to the decisions that affect them.
Project Name: Community Entrepreneurship (Report)
Funding Organisation: Goldman Sachs | Public Policy Lab
Partner Organisation(s): Centric Community Research (CenLabs) | Social Finance
Date of Delivery: May 2024 – October 2024
Muhammed’s Role
As project director, I led the design and strategic oversight of the team’s delivery. This included shaping the qualitative research design, managing the research team and our partners at Social Finance, and overseeing quality assurance throughout. I extensively authored the final report, led thematic analysis, and facilitated co-working sessions between community entrepreneurs and Social Finance to surface and translate insights for Goldman Sachs and other funders.
Key Insights and Impact
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Deepened understanding of the systemic barriers to entrepreneurship faced by Black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities in the UK and internationally (e.g. Ghana).
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Highlighted the role of community-rooted models like Centric in brokering trust, resources, and infrastructure for underrepresented founders.
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Identified gaps in traditional investment mechanisms which often fail to recognise or engage informal or “below-the-radar” entrepreneurs.
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Emphasised the value of fiscal hosting, embedded research, and ecosystem design in creating more equitable access to finance, support, and business growth opportunities.
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Informed the development of new funding pathways tailored to overlooked founders, blending social impact with commercial viability.
Project Name: Vital 5 Health Inequalities Programme (Report)
Funding Organisation: King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Partner Organisation(s): Centric Community Research
Date of Delivery: January 2023 – October 2023
Muhammed’s Role
As project director, I was responsible for the strategic oversight and delivery of the Health Inequalities Programme. I led the research design and managed delivery across multiple South London boroughs. I was accountable for ensuring the methodology was grounded in lived experience and culturally competent practice, while overseeing quality assurance and leading on thematic analysis and the final outputs.
Key Insights and Impact
Established a new baseline of understanding of how the “Vital 5” health framework was perceived and experienced by underrepresented communities across Lambeth and Southwark.
Identified culturally specific barriers to access and engagement with public health interventions related to mental health, healthy weight, alcohol use, blood pressure, and smoking.
Delivered in-depth insights from diverse community groups, including Somali, Latin American, Black Caribbean, and South Asian communities.
Directly shaped the Foundation’s internal thinking, including its approach to commissioning the next phase and embedding community insights into future programme design.
Project Name: Participation in Health Research and Clinical Trials (Report)
Funding Organisation: King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Partner Organisation(s): Centric Community Research
Date of Delivery: January 2023 – October 2023
Muhammed’s Role
As project director, I led the strategic oversight of the research, overseeing its design, community engagement, and delivery. This included commissioning a local community research team, managing relationships and ensuring the findings translated into actionable system-level recommendations. I was also responsible for quality assurance of the final report and the articulation of strategic insights to funding bodies and public health partners.
Key Insights and Impact
Many Black, Asian, and ethnic minority residents remain hesitant to participate in research due to deep-rooted mistrust, historical exclusion, and perceived irrelevance of studies to their communities.
The research surfaced a significant knowledge gap across healthcare institutions on how to build meaningful relationships with marginalised communities in ways that support long-term participation.
Local and hyperlocal community actors were seen as more credible than institutional voices — highlighting the importance of investing in community intermediaries to broker trust.
Recommendations from the report directly informed ICS and Foundation partners’ future commissioning and engagement strategies — including the importance of recognising and resourcing local community infrastructure as a strategic asset.
Project Name: Cost of Living Community Referral Pathway Evaluation (Report)
Funding Organisation: Southwark Council
Partner Organisation(s): Centric Community Research
Date of Delivery: April 2023 – August 2023
Muhammed’s Role
As project director, I was responsible for the design and strategic oversight of the project managing the relationship with the local authority and leading the community research team. I ensured that each stage of delivery aligned with the project’s objectives and outcomes, while guiding the evaluation to critically examine Southwark Council’s response to the rising cost of living crisis and the impact of the referral pathway on community and VCSE partners.
Key Insights and Impact
Strengthened Southwark Council’s understanding of how the cost of living crisis was disproportionately affecting underrepresented communities, with a focus on Somali and Afro-Latin American residents.
Recommendations were formally responded to by Southwark Council and adopted in full or in principle, with tangible shifts in operational practice. Directly shaping new systems and processes to improve access and equity.
Following the evaluation, VCSE partner participation increased markedly at relaunch, indicating renewed trust and improved partnership dynamics.
Grant funds distributed through the pathway nearly doubled post-evaluation, demonstrating a measurable improvement in reach, confidence, and efficiency.
Project Name: Chronic Pain Patient Advisory Group (Report)
Funding Organisation: Lambeth Together (Neighbourhood and Wellbeing Delivery Alliance)
Partner Organisation(s): Centric Community Research
Date of Delivery: April 2022 – June 2023
Muhammed’s Role
As Project Director, I was responsible for the procurement, design, and strategic oversight of the advisory group — including the formation of the group, recruitment and coordination of the team managing day-to-day operations, facilitation, and communications. I provided quality assurance on both the interim and final reporting, ensuring that the insights and recommendations were strategically aligned with key areas for improvement within the NHS.
Key Insights and Impact
The project centred around a live Patient Advisory Group designed to amplify the voices of individuals living with long-term chronic pain conditions in Lambeth.
It surfaced key patient experiences of pain management, clinician communication, racial bias, and trust issues across the primary and secondary care pathway.
Through tailored engagement methods and sustained dialogue, the group was able to influence local strategy and raise visibility of chronic pain as a priority area.
Critically, the project contributed to the establishment of the first Chronic Pain Patient Register in Lambeth, marking a major step toward more inclusive and representative healthcare delivery.
Project Name: Representative Workforce in the UK Video Game Industry (Report)
Funding Organisation: UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) | Digital Schoolhouse
Partner Organisation(s): Centric Community Research
Date of Delivery: April 2022 – November 2022
Muhammed’s Role
As project director, I was responsible for the strategic design, team leadership, and overall delivery of the research. I oversaw the methodology, led stakeholder engagement with UKIE and sector actors, and provided quality assurance throughout. I played a central role in synthesising findings and shaping the final report to ensure actionable insights were clear for industry stakeholders and policymakers.
Key Insights & Impact
The report provided a first-of-its-kind evidence base on workforce representation and EDI (equality, diversity, inclusion) challenges across the UK video game industry.
It highlighted the lack of structural pipelines into the industry for marginalised communities, especially Black and Asian individuals.
Barriers to progression were identified across education, recruitment, and in-work environments, alongside issues with data collection across the sector.
Recommendations were made to support more equitable talent development, including the need for clearer entry points, more inclusive workplace cultures, and better monitoring of demographic data.
Project Name: Rebuilding Trust through Community Engagement and Empowerment (Report)
Funding Organisation: Southwark Council
Partner Organisation(s): Centric Community Research | Social Finance
Date of Delivery: January 2022 – January 2023
Muhammed’s Role
As project director, I led the procurement, design, and delivery of the entire research project. I was responsible for recruiting and onboarding a new research team, managing partner relationships, building local research capacity, and overseeing the partnership with Social Finance. I also provided strategic direction throughout, culminating in the development of actionable recommendations for Southwark Council’s policy and commissioning teams.
Key Insights & Impact
Informed Southwark Council’s public health strategy, with findings presented to Cabinet and embedded into borough-wide strategic planning
Developed a locally grounded definition of “community empowerment,” now referenced across departments to guide equity-focused policy
Established a trusted community researcher model that enhanced engagement credibility and set a precedent for inclusive, participatory research
Identified systemic and interpersonal barriers limiting engagement with local services among Black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities