Laura Dean is a public health specialist focused on research, capacity strengthening, and equitable partnerships to support health systems strengthening in Africa and Asia. Laura currently leads the Mental Health, Inclusion, Neglected Tropical Disease and Disability Research Group at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM). Laura has led multiple multi-partner research programmes, developing long standing research collaborations across Africa and South Asia, focusing on the use of implementation science to support the strengthening of people-centred health systems for chronic disease management, disability inclusion and the integration of mental health services. Drawing on intersectionality and gender theory, all the research that she leads engages with marginalised populations and people with lived experience to ensure their needs, values and priorities are recognised within health systems reform and community action. Her work connects to LSTM’s Centre of Neglected Tropical Diseases, and she is a member of the steering committee for LSTM’s Institute of Resilient Health Systems. She is a graduate of the Emerging Voices for Global Health programme and committed to raising the profile of young research scientists, predominantly from the global south, within global health and health systems research. Laura currently serves as deputy chair within LSTM’s research committee, supporting to enhance equity, inclusion and access to opportunities for early and mid-career researchers across LSTM.

Laura delivers teaching across LSTM’s postgraduate programmes on topics related to: qualitative and participatory research methods, disability inclusion, mental health, and person-centred health systems. She has supervised multiple MSc students across these topics. Laura also acts as a PhD supervisor to students with topics related to: disease management, disability and inclusion for neglected tropical diseases, mainstreaming of psychosocial disability within health systems, the role of informal health providers in the provision of non communicable diseases care, youth mental health and the mental wellbeing of community health promotors. Laura also frequently delivers training on participatory health research for the National Centre for Research Methods.