Mehrunisha Suleman

Mehrunisha is a medically trained bioethicist and public health researcher, whose research experience spans healthcare systems analysis to empirical ethics evaluation. Her research interests intersect global health research ethics and clinical ethics particularly where religious and cultural views and values of patients, clinicians and researchers are pertinent. She has extensive outreach and engagement experience, include working with minority groups and diverse sectors across the UK and globally.

Bioethics research

Mehrunisha has extensive bioethics research and expert consultative experience, with particular focus on Islamic ethics and scholarship. Her doctoral research focused on research ethics governance policies and practices in understudied low and middle income countries and in particular in Muslim contexts. The findings have been published as a book by Routledge – Islam and Biomedical Research Ethics.

She is currently co-PI on a Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) project titled “Genomics, Islamic Ethics and Public Engagement”. Her role is to co-lead on the project’s Public Engagement component including using virtual and in-person methods to stimulate public conversation and involvement in Qatar’s burgeoning investment in precision and personalized medicine. Themes include challenges pertaining to data sharing, trust, privacy, ownership and religious/cultural issues concerning “Big Data”.

Mehrunisha is also co-leading a GLIDE funded project on the development of an ethical framework and policy guideline for addressing inequalities in pandemic preparedness and response.

She also recently led a research project at the University of Cambridge’s Center of Islamic Studies investigating the ethical issues facing minority ethnic and faith communities when they access palliative and end of life care services in the UK.

Public health research

Mehrunisha’s Public Health research and policy work includes co-editing the NHS Atlas of Variation for Diabetes and Liver Disease at the Department of Health. She also recently led the Health Foundation’s COVID-19 Impact Inquiry which involved curating a diverse portfolio of work to assess the impact of the pandemic on health and health inequalities.

Teaching

Mehrunisha is Director of Medical Ethics and Law Education at the University of Oxford and is responsible for leading and delivering a range of teaching activities for undergraduate and graduate students.

As well as her teaching in Oxford she has also taught at the University of St Andrew’s and the University of Cambridge, teaching a range of courses including Medical Ethics and Law, the Social and Ethical Context of Health and Illness (SECHI), as well as bedside teaching for medical undergraduates. She has also supervised BSc students for their Honours dissertation in medical ethics and law and acted as personal tutor for graduate students.

Mehrunisha is committed to enriching curricula to reflect Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and is also keen to adapt learning environments and teaching methods to adapt to students’ feedback and needs.

She has won several awards for her teaching including the University of Oxford Medical School’s “Teacher of the Month” on several occasions.

Service

Mehrunisha is a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and is a Trustee at the Arthur Rank Hospice in Cambridge. She is also an expert for UNESCO’s Ethics Teacher Training Programme and is a peer reviewer for several journals including PLoS One, Journal of Global Bioethics and Journal of Religion and Health.

Education and Training

Mehrunisha holds a DPhil in Population Health from the University of Oxford and a BA in Biomedical Sciences Tripos from the University of Cambridge. She also holds a medical degree and an MSc in Global Health Sciences from the University of Oxford. Mehrunisha is also a Member of the Faculty of Public Health. She also has an Alimiyyah degree in traditional Islamic studies and was awarded the 2017 National Ibn Sina Muslim News Award for health.

Alongside her teaching and research Mehrunisha enjoys exploring Oxford’s libraries and cafes and is working on her first crime novel!