Doctoral Candidates and Projects

Hasnat is working on developing a guideline for culturally appropriate dissemination of clinical trials (EDICT Project # 13), under the supervision of Dr. Sinéad Hynes and Dr. Eimear Morrissey at the University of Galway, Ireland.

Hasnat is a medical doctor and a clinical trialist with ~10 years' experience leading the set-up, execution, and close-out of 10+ clinical trials (Phase II–III; vaccines, infectious disease) across multi-country settings, working with industry sponsors (Moderna, GSK) and academic investigators (NIH, WHO, Johns Hopkins). He completed an MSc in Clinical Trials from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (Commonwealth Scholar) and an MPH (Epidemiology) from University College Dublin. He has published in leading peer-reviewed journals and has secured competitive research funding from NIH, Sida, and WHO.

Maeve holds a BSc in Public Health Sciences from University College Cork and an MSc in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her research experience spans both quantitative and qualitative methods. She previously worked at the HRB Clinical Research Facility at University College Cork, where her work focused on clinical trial design tools, reporting guidelines and pragmatic trial design principles. She was also part of the PRECIS-3 research team, a trial design tool aimed at helping trialists match design decisions to the intended purpose of a trial.

Maeve will be working on Project 10, Methodological and Operational Tools for Enhancing EDI in Clinical Trials, as part of Work Package 3. Her research will focus on evaluating approaches to enhance equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in clinical trials and developing practical guidance to support their use.

Teena Thomas is the doctoral candidate on EDICT Project 1, based at the Catholic University of Croatia in Zagreb, under the mentorship of Prof. Livia Puljak and the supervision of Prof. Damir Sapunar. Her project, part of Work Package 1, examines how equity, diversity and inclusion are planned and realised across European clinical trials. Drawing on trial registries and publications from 1993 onwards, she will compare single- and multi-country trials and track how EDI practices have changed over time.

Before joining EDICT, Teena worked as a Research Assistant at the Centre for Health Research Methodology, University of Galway, on the HRB-TMRN-funded QASSIST study (Qualitative Research Supporting Inclusive Trials). The study explores how qualitative research can inform the design and conduct of inclusive clinical trials. Earlier in her career, she spent two years in healthcare market research across the Asia-Pacific region. She holds a Master’s in Health Data Science, an MBA in Healthcare Management and a BSc in Microbiology-Biochemistry.

I am a doctoral researcher and Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow in the EDICT Doctoral Network, based in the METHODS team at the Centre of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS, UMR 1153), Université Paris Cité. After training as a medical doctor in Vietnam, I gained clinical research experience at University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City and OUCRU Vietnam. I then completed an MSc in Epidemiology at the University of Antwerp (Belgium). My thesis applied target trial emulation to occupational health cohort data from Vietnam, where, as in many low- and middle-income countries, research databases are scarce. This experience shaped my interest in using causal inference and real-world data to generate evidence for populations underrepresented in clinical trials. In EDICT Project 5, supervised by Prof. Isabelle Boutron, Dr. Sally Yaacoub and Dr. Neil O'Leary (University of Galway), I am assessing whether target trials can be emulated using real-world data sources such as CONSTANCES and SNDS. I will also identify barriers and possible solutions, and develop a consensus-based framework to support decision-making for underrepresented groups in trials.

Betelehem Dagnaw Alemu is a doctoral researcher at the University of Galway, working on EDICT Project 6: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Address Disparities. Her research focuses on developing AI-based tools to monitor and improve recruitment equity in clinical trials, with the goal of making trial populations more representative of the people treatments are intended to serve.

Betelehem holds a BSc and MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and a second MSc in Communication Technologies and Multimedia from the University of Brescia, Italy. Before joining EDICT, she worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Brescia, applying large language models to cybersecurity research.

David Arango is a public health professional with an interdisciplinary background spanning public health, community engagement, and global health. His academic and professional experiences have fostered an interest in health equity, inclusive research practices, and the importance of community participation in improving health outcomes. He has engaged in community-focused initiatives and has experience in areas including public health research, epidemiology, and health promotion.

As part of the EDICT, David is investigating the interactions between patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) (Project 14). His work explores how these approaches intersect and how they can contribute to more inclusive, equitable, and meaningful involvement of patients and the public in research. Through this work, he aims to support research practices that recognize diverse perspectives, address barriers to participation, and ensure that a wider range of voices can help shape clinical research.

Jamie completed her master’s in Philosophy, with a particular interest in Moral Philosophy, at the University of Cape Town.

She has worked as a digital policy researcher, investigating how digital interventions intersect with socio-economic inequities within and between African countries, and exploring policy options for more just outcomes.

Based at the UMC Utrecht, Jamie’s EDICT project engages conceptual and ethical challenges involved in advancing EDI in clinical trials. Her research includes analysing what fairness and inclusion mean and require in this context, examining how competing ethical considerations should be weighed, and assessing the justifications for different approaches to EDI. Ultimately, her work aims to inform the implementation of EDI in clinical trials in ways that are morally sound and promote scientific rigour.

My professional background spans health research, community engagement, research ethics, and language translation. I have an academic background in sociology, economics, and project planning and management.

I previously worked at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, bridging research teams and participating communities. My experience includes qualitative research, community engagement, research ethics, protocol reviews, and training frontline research staff. I have also contributed to developing research guidelines, standard operating procedures, and policies. My work in language translation includes translating research communication materials into local languages, coordinating translation workshops, contributing to the Swahili translation of the TRREE online research ethics course, and developing translation guidelines and a lexicon for complex research terminology.

I am currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Aberdeen through the EDICT Doctoral Network, focusing on language considerations in clinical trials. My research explores how translation and interpretation can be integrated into trial planning to promote inclusive participation and reduce language-related barriers to clinical research.

Dr Emmanuella Achiaa Osei-Tutu is a medical doctor and public health practitioner, with a background spanning clinical practice, preventive medicine, implementation science and global health training. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, an MPH in Global Health and a Certificate in Effective Healthcare Management.

She is a doctoral candidate on EDICT Project 15, hosted by the Catholic University of Croatia, where her research forms part of Work Package 4 under the mentorship and supervision of Prof. Livia Puljak and Prof. Damir Sapunar. Her research explores stakeholder perspectives on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in European clinical trials through five coordinated studies involving clinical trialists, ethics committees, research funders, and patients. It examines how EDI is understood, implemented, and governed, and how it is, and is not, embedded in clinical research practice across Europe. The research aims to inform more equitable, accessible, and representative trials.

Dolores Cviticanin holds an MSc in International Public Policy from University College London and undergraduate degrees from the University of British Columbia and Sciences Po. Her professional experience spans global health policy, health systems, and international research collaborations, with a focus on policy development, patient engagement, and evidence-informed approaches to healthcare. Her research experience includes qualitative and quantitative methods, policy analysis, literature reviews, and stakeholder consultations across international and European research projects.

As part of Project 8 within Work Package 2, Developing Inclusive and Culturally Diverse Patient Advisory Groups for Enhanced EDI in Clinical Trials, her PhD focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating a strategy to establish a patient advisory group at FIBHULP. Working with patient associations and the wider public, she aims to strengthen patient involvement in ongoing clinical studies at UCICEC. The project’s findings will inform recommendations for other Spanish hospitals and potentially broader national and international contexts.

Neveen is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Fellow in the School of Medicine and the Centre for Health Research Methodology at the University of Galway in Ireland. Under the supervision of Prof. Declan Devane and Dr. Eimear Morrissey, she works on Project 12: the design, piloting, and evaluation of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) training modules for clinical trial teams. Previously, Neveen earned her Bachelor’s degree in Dentistry in Egypt, followed by a Diploma from the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Most recently, as a Fulbright Scholar, she completed her Master’s degree in Global Health Program Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation at Boston University School of Public Health. Neveen has worked across the clinical, humanitarian, and research sectors. Her experience working with people living with HIV, refugees, and survivors of violence has driven her commitment to embedding EDI within the clinical trial ecosystem

With a background in Occupational Therapy, I developed a strong interest in person-centred healthcare that responds to people’s individual needs and circumstances. I further built my expertise in implementation science, collaborating with stakeholders to bridge the gap between scientific evidence and clinical practice. This experience strengthened my passion for turning research into meaningful impact.

As part of the EDICT doctoral network, my research at the University of Basel focuses on developing a Core Outcome Set for EDI implementation in clinical trials: a consensus-based set of outcomes that trials should measure and report to assess equity, diversity and inclusion. By building this consensus with diverse stakeholders, I hope to highlight the underrepresentation of certain populations and contribute to more inclusive clinical research.

I’m Paul, and the place that feels like home is Vienna, where I completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology at the University of Vienna. During and after my studies, I worked with diverse groups in the psychosocial sector, gaining practical experience before spending a year in Rostock, Germany, as a research associate in the Department of Quality of Life in Oncology at the University Medical Center Rostock.

Now, I’m excited to join the METHODS team at the Centre de Recherche en Épidémiologie et Statistiques (CRESS), Université Paris Cité, to work on advancing the measurement of demographics and psychosocial characteristics in clinical trials, where they are often captured inconsistently and in insufficient detail. At a later stage, we will investigate them as potential treatment effect modifiers, meaning we will look at whether treatment outcomes differ among underserved patient groups

Mohammed is a Doctoral Candidate and MSCA PhD Fellow for Project 7 within the EDICT Doctoral Network, hosted at Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ) in Madrid, Spain, under the supervision of Dr. Alberto M. Borobia and Dr. Irene Garcia. His research examines how equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) can be strengthened in informed consent for biological samples and data, with a focus on participant understanding.

His background spans pharmaceutical operations, public health research and project coordination, including roles as UN Volunteer Researcher at the WHO Kuwait Country Office and doctoral programme coordinator at LMU Klinikum, Munich, alongside clinical trials training (Johns Hopkins, NIDA). He holds an MSc in International Health from Heidelberg University, a Postgraduate Diploma in International Project Management from Sorbonne University, and a Bachelor of Pharmacy. He speaks Arabic, English and German, is learning Spanish, and is committed to patient-centred communication and health equity.

Maha holds an MSc in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and a BA in International Development from McGill University. Her experience includes extensive work on multi-centre international clinical trials, with an overall focus on the intersection of clinical research, global health, and health equity.

As an EDICT Doctoral Candidate, Maha is based at the UMC Utrecht Julius Centre Department of Global Public Health. Her current work is focused on evaluating representativeness of clinical trials through epidemiological and statistical methods. Additionally, her project aims to inform future clinical trial design and innovation for the generation of more equitable and generalizable clinical evidence.