Dr Rachel Tolhurst

Biography

Rachel Tolhurst has more than 25 years’ experience of research, training and partnership on equity, social determinants of health and health systems strengthening in Africa and Asia. Her research has focused on social drivers of inequities in health and well-being and health systems. This includes intersections between gender equity, poverty and disability, with regard to a wide range of health issues, including TB and lung-health, anti-microbial resistance maternal, sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence. Her current research focus is equity in urban health.

Research interests

Rachel’s research focuses on inequities in urban health, taking an intersectional perspective and a community based participatory research approach, working with disadvantaged people living in cities to hold governments and other stakeholders to account for realising their rights to health and wellbeing. She currently collaborates with partners in Bangladesh, Kenya, India, Nepal and Sierra Leone as well as in the Liverpool City Region. This work includes improving health services and multi-sectoral responses to climate change in urban informal settlements and taking a creative health approach to tackle health inequities in Liverpool, Knowsley and Sefton.

Teaching

Rachel jointly lead two master’s modules, teaching on social determinants of health, equity, decolonisation and urban health, and qualitative research methods. She supervises PhDs using qualitative and participatory methods to explore issues concerning equity in urban health.