Biography
Sohail Jannesari is a post-doctoral researcher working on outcomes for survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery. He is also the project lead on the Stolen Tools anti-racism journal (Race Equity and Inclusive Education grant), convener of the Inspiring Ethics group, project lead on developing a guide for mental health professionals working with Afghan sanctuary seekers (ESRC IAA award), and an expert on qualitative methods working at the Qualitative Applied Health Research Centre (hosting their podcast). He has completed a PhD on how the asylum process affects the mental health of sanctuary seekers. You can find out more about his work on his website www.sohailj.com.
PhD finding summaries
- Mental health and the asylum process Recommendations for Migrant Charities
- Mental health and the asylum process Key Findings and Recommendations for Participants
- Mental health and the asylum process Key Findings and Recommendations for Mental Health Practitioners
- نکات مهم و توصیه های سالمت روحی و پروسه ی پناهندگی
Research Interests
Sanctuary seeker mental health, participatory research approaches, research ethics and integrity, human trafficking and modern slavery, innovative qualitative methods, colonialism and education, anti-racism in educational settings.
Teaching
Sohail has designed and delivered a range of lectures and seminars on migration and mental health, arts-based qualitative methods, research ethics (particularly around participatory approaches) and decolonisation. He supervises MSc and BSc students on projects that bridge the gap between activism and academia. Sohail also has experience training and supervising lived experience researchers in the context of sanctuary seeking and modern slavery.
Expertise and Public Engagement
Sohail has spent over a decade working on different projects around migrant rights activism, including founding the Migrant Connections Festival and co-founding the Cotton Tree Trust charity. He trains and consults on participatory methods, research ethics, migration and mental health, and using arts-based methods for charities, other universities and schools. You can see the co-produced refugee poetry anthology he uses with schools here.
Research
Health Inequalities Research Network (HERON)
Identifying ways to reduce inequalities in health and healthcare
Health Inequalities Research Group
Health Inequalities Research Group is focused on delivering interdisciplinary research on inequalities in mental health in marginalised communities and across health services with an emphasis on race at the intersection of other social identities.
Mental Health & Society research group
Seeking to better understand the socio-political dimensions of mental health and illness in the Global North and South.
Refugee Mental Health and Place Network
Network exploring post-migration and refugee mental health
Qualitative Research Group
Qualitative Research Group is an interdisciplinary team of methodologists comprising social scientists, experts by experience, and health practitioners
Events
LAUNCH EVENT: “Do you hear me?”: A creative anthology of poems in exile
Join us for the launch of this creative anthology made in response to the racist riots in the UK
Please note: this event has passed.
Poetry of sanctuary: Searching for safety, belonging and home
Join the Refugee Mental Health and Place Network for an evening of personal and poetic expression of the lived refugee experience.
Please note: this event has passed.
QUAHRC Seminar Series: Does qualitative health research need ethics committees?
Sohail Jannesari and the Inspiring Ethics group discuss the question, does qualitative health research need ethics committees?
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
The Border Follows Me
A border isn't simply a physical barrier but also a legal and social one that follows people around. Mohammad Reza draws on his lived experience seeking...
Poetry by Sanctuary Seekers: The impact of the asylum process on mental health
Dr Sohail Jannesari developed a poetry anthology reflecting the impact of the asylum process on mental health.
Research
Health Inequalities Research Network (HERON)
Identifying ways to reduce inequalities in health and healthcare
Health Inequalities Research Group
Health Inequalities Research Group is focused on delivering interdisciplinary research on inequalities in mental health in marginalised communities and across health services with an emphasis on race at the intersection of other social identities.
Mental Health & Society research group
Seeking to better understand the socio-political dimensions of mental health and illness in the Global North and South.
Refugee Mental Health and Place Network
Network exploring post-migration and refugee mental health
Qualitative Research Group
Qualitative Research Group is an interdisciplinary team of methodologists comprising social scientists, experts by experience, and health practitioners
Events
LAUNCH EVENT: “Do you hear me?”: A creative anthology of poems in exile
Join us for the launch of this creative anthology made in response to the racist riots in the UK
Please note: this event has passed.
Poetry of sanctuary: Searching for safety, belonging and home
Join the Refugee Mental Health and Place Network for an evening of personal and poetic expression of the lived refugee experience.
Please note: this event has passed.
QUAHRC Seminar Series: Does qualitative health research need ethics committees?
Sohail Jannesari and the Inspiring Ethics group discuss the question, does qualitative health research need ethics committees?
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
The Border Follows Me
A border isn't simply a physical barrier but also a legal and social one that follows people around. Mohammad Reza draws on his lived experience seeking...
Poetry by Sanctuary Seekers: The impact of the asylum process on mental health
Dr Sohail Jannesari developed a poetry anthology reflecting the impact of the asylum process on mental health.