Next in our series introducing the 2026-27 cohort of In Practice Research Fellows is Fouziya Azim, a Cancer Outreach Co-ordinator with extensive experience working within the voluntary and community sector. Here we catch up with Fouziya about her research project ‘How does prejudicial bystanderism shape systemic healthcare limitations into preventable and embodied harm and inform the affective experience of health inequality by ethnic minority women?’.
If your research was a film, what would the title be?
Bystanders in Care: Silence and Unseen Harm in Healthcare (move over, Steven Speilberg!)
What will you be doing during your Medical Humanities in Practice Research Fellowship?
I will be speaking to women from racialised communities who have stories they wish to share about their healthcare experiences. I will explore how these experiences are internalised, how they shape beliefs and attitudes towards healthcare, and how this in turn influences care-seeking behaviour. I would like to observe whether patterns emerge in terms of similar experiences across cultures and communities, and how this might lead to beliefs and practices becoming embedded within them. I will be collecting information through storytelling workshops, and through creative art exercises where participants will be given the opportunity to express their thoughts, feelings and experiences.
What expertise and experiences will you be drawing on?
I will be drawing on my experience of working within the VCSE sector over the past four years, most recently as a Cervical Screening Outreach Coordinator, where I work to improve access, awareness and engagement with screening among underserved communities. This role has strengthened my understanding of the cultural, social and systemic barriers that shape how women engage with healthcare. Alongside this, my work as a Family Mentor and Green Doctor has involved supporting families facing inequality, debt and fuel poverty, deepening my awareness of how wider circumstances impact health and wellbeing.
My previous career as a pharmacist has given me insight into patient interactions, access to care, and how trust in healthcare systems is built or broken. I will also draw on my experience leading Beyond Borders: The Common Ground Project, a creative arts and storytelling project driven by my passion for writing and creating spaces for untold stories. The project focuses on amplifying unheard voices and providing a platform for individuals to share their experiences in their own way.
Why are you excited about working in the medical humanities?
It creates space to explore the parts of health and illness that are often overlooked, particularly lived experience, emotion and meaning. My work has shown me that many healthcare experiences, especially among racialised and underserved communities, are complex, difficult to articulate, and often go unheard. The medical humanities offers a way to centre these voices through creative and participatory approaches, allowing for a deeper understanding of how people experience care beyond clinical outcomes. This aligns closely with my own values and my passion for storytelling, as well as my interest in creating spaces where people feel seen, heard and able to share their experiences in their own way.
What changes would you like to see as a result of your research?
As a result of my research, I would like to see greater recognition of how lived experiences shape trust, beliefs and engagement with healthcare, particularly among communities who are often marginalised. I hope my work will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of care, moving beyond simple narratives of access and compliance to consider the social, cultural and emotional factors that influence how people seek and experience care. I would also like to create opportunities for these insights to be shared with practitioners, organisations and communities, so that they can inform more responsive, inclusive and compassionate approaches to healthcare.
What interests or hobbies do you have outside of your research that might surprise people?
I think my hobbies are fairly simple and might not be that surprising, but I’ve come to really value and appreciate a quiet, simple and predictable life. I like reading, drawing, painting and writing. Going to the gym is becoming a bit of a hobby too, although we’re still in the love/hate phase. I also like swimming and occasionally baking. Oh, and I love nature, just being outdoors, touching trees, feeling the grass under my feet, finding streams and new places to walk. I like to think of myself as bit of a child of the woods.
We warmly welcome Fouziya to the Discovery Research Platform and look forward to working with her.
Continue reading our interview series with our 2026-27 cohort of In Practice Research Fellows:
- An interview with David McQuillan
- An interview with Kate Quinn
- An interview with Sam Slatcher
- An interview with Sophie-Jo Peel
- An interview with Maddie Rose-Carbone
Find out more:
- Read the announcement of this year’s In Practice Research Fellows
- Find out more about the 2025-26 cohort of In Practice Research Fellows
- Celebrate our 2025-26 cohort as we hear from them at an event on 19 June 2026
