At this exhibition, Samia Akhter-Khan will present preliminary findings from her PhD field work with older migrants from Myanmar living in Mae Sai, northern Thailand. Using a participatory research method called Photovoice, a group of nine older people learned to use photography as a medium to share their perspectives and stories.

The photos and narratives curated by the participants, focusing on themes including care, nature, and religion, were exhibited in Thailand in March 2023 and will be showcased at this event in London.

Findings suggest that this 6-week long project has potential for functioning as a community-based intervention for reducing loneliness among older people.

This event is in-person. The presentation will be held at 4pm and followed by an open discussion, reception, and exhibition.

Speaker

Samia Akhter-Khan

Samia Akhter-Khan is a second year PhD student at the Department of Global Health & Social Medicine at King’s. Her research focuses on exploring solutions to older people’s loneliness, with a specific geographical focus on Southeast Asia.

Over the past years, Samia has conducted mixed-methods research on loneliness and care in Myanmar and Thailand. She has a BSc and MSc degree in Psychology from the Humboldt-University Berlin and also works part-time for the Framingham Heart Study at Boston University, investigating pathways from persistent loneliness to brain health.