ReNDES @ AUT

Biography

Dr. Charania joined AUT in 2015 after completing her PhD at the University of Waterloo in Ontario,Canada. She is passionate about conducting public health research that produces tangible outcomes to improve health policies and services related to infectious diseases to reduce health inequities faced by marginalised populations. Nadia has research expertise in the areas of public health and infectious disease prevention and control. She specialises in qualitative research and participatory action research with a focus on community participation and knowledge translation. Her previous research efforts primarily focused on improving local influenza pandemic preparedness with remote and isolated Canadian First Nations communities using community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches. Her Masters and PhD research supports the need for more community- and culturally-appropriate policies and strategies to manage infectious disease outbreaks.

Since relocating to New Zealand, her research area has shifted to focus on infectious disease prevention and control among migrant and refugee populations. She is also particularly interested understanding migrants’ vulnerability and capacities in the face of disasters and developing strategies for migrant-inclusive disaster risk reduction policy and practice. She is currently involved in research funded by the Earthquake Commission (EQC) to explore how to engage South Asian and Chinese migrants in disaster risk reduction in New Zealand. She speaks English. More information about Nadia’s background can be accessed here: https://www.aut.ac.nz/profiles?id=ncharani&asset=263499