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Establishment of a Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø Inclusion Health Network to Improve the Health and Lives of Marginalised Populations

The Inclusion Health agenda works to improve the health and lives of people with experiences of homelessness, imprisonment, drug addiction, sex work, forced migration, and many other forms of deep social exclusion. ÌýOften these populations face multiple overlapping forms of social exclusion, for example, homelessness, contacts with the criminal justice system, and drug addiction, which requires an interdisciplinary response.Ìý

Collaborations across academic disciplines, such as public health, law, psychiatry, and the built environment, and with community and public sector organisations are needed to inform the Inclusion Health agenda. Many researchers at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø work with vulnerable and marginalised populations, but there was no established research group or theme for Inclusion Health at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø and teaching in this area was underdeveloped. ÌýThrough the small grant,Ìýan interdisciplinary network of Inclusion Health was established forÌýresearchers at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø to foster future research and teaching collaborations within the institution and with external partners, and to establish Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø as the leading university in Inclusion Health.

A roundtable workshops was held with a core group of researchers to discuss the development of the Inclusion Health Network and potential research and teaching collaborations. A new website was created to post relevant information. The network was formally launched via a symposium, inviting all researchers identified in the mapping exercise, people with lived experience of social exclusion, representatives from charity and public sector organisations, the wider university community, and the public. The symposium included a series of talks given by experts and people with lived experience, as well as an opportunity to network.Ìý