Dr Ash Routen

Dr Ash Routen is a Research Fellow in the Diabetes Research Centre at the University of Leicester, with a primary focus on ethnicity-based health inequalities.

Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic Ash contributed to Covid-19 related research and policy recommendations, and he has co-authored reports/chapters for organisations such as the South Asian Health Foundation, Health Data Research UK.

Most recently Dr Routen co-authored a chapter on ethnicity-based health inequalities in the 2024 UK Chief Medical Officer's Annual Report.

Prior to joining Leicester in 2019 Ash worked at the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University, and The School of Medicine Pharmacy and Health at Durham University. His initial training was in Physical Activity and Public Health.

Ash has a range of research interests that largely relate to applied public health research. These areas include ethnic minority health and inclusion and diversity in health research.

Ash currently leads an NIHR ARC-EM project on the representation of under-served groups in applied health research. He has received funding as a co-investigator from a variety of funders. Recent examples from 2020 onward include:

Developing a framework to increase diversity in genomic studies. Ash Routen (PI), Chiara Batini, Kamlesh Khunti. £90,000. Wellcome Trust Doctoral Training Programme in Genomic Epidemiology and Public Health Genomics. 2023-2027

A process evaluation of the enhanced diabetes care service in primary care in Leicestershire. Samuel Seidu (PI), Ash Routen, Grace Hawthorne, Ffion Curtis, Raj Thun, Michelle Hadjiconstantinou. £41,670.63. NIHR ARC East Midlands. 2022-2024.

National Multiple Long-Term Conditions Implementation Programme. Kamlesh Khunti (PI), Ash Routen, et al. £1.8m NIHR ARC Priority Themes. 2021-2023.

Understanding ARC researchers’ practices regarding the equality of participant involvement. Azhar Farooqi (PI) Ash Routen, Natalie Darko, Claire Gillies, Kamlesh Khunti. £161,159. NIHR ARC East Midlands. 2020 - 2023.

Establishing multi-stakeholder partnerships to implement community screening for cardiometabolic multimorbidity in India. Kamlesh Khunti (PI), Banshi Saboo, Vijay Viswanathan, Subash Babu, Nikhil Tandon, Ash Routen, Patrick Highton, Andrew Willis. £10,000. Global Challenges Research Fund. 2020-2021.

Ten Selected Recent Publications (See more of Dr Routen's publications via Google Scholar).

Tyrer F, Gharibzadeh S, Gillies C, Lawson C, Routen A, Islam N, Razieh C, Zaccardi F, Yates T, Davies MJ, Brightling CE, Chalmers HD, Docherty AB, Elneima O, Evans RA, Greening NJ, Harris VC, Harrison EM, Ho L-P, Horsley A, Houchen-Wolloff L, Leavy OC, Lone NI, Marks M, McAuley HJC, Poinasamy K, Quint JK, Raman B, Richardson M, Saunders R, Sereno M, Shikotra A, Singapuri A, Wain LV, Khunti K (2024) Incidence of diabetes mellitus following hospitalisation for COVID-19 in the UK: a prospective observational study. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism [In press]

Kayani Z, Willis A, Salisu-Olatunji SO, Jeffers S, Khunti K, Routen A (2024) Reporting and representation of underserved groups in intervention studies for patients with multiple long-term conditions: a systematic review. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 2024;117(9):302-317. doi:10.1177/01410768241233109

Routen A, Lekas H, Harrison J, Khunti K (2023) Intersectionality in health equity research. BMJ, 383 :p2953 doi:10.1136/bmj.p2953

Routen A, Khunti K (2023) Long-term outcomes in hospitalised COVID-19 survivors and future research priorities. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(23)00410-1.

Routen A, O’Mahoney L, Banerjee A, Brightling C, Aiyegbusi OL, McMullan C, Turner GM, Hughes SE, Jeyes F, Buckland L, Alder Y, Chong A, Stanton D, Matthews K, Camaradou J, Calvert M, Chaturvedi N, Eggo RM, Elliott P, Evans RA, Haroon S, Herrett E, Dalrymple E, Shafran R, Stephenson T, Sterne J, Ward H, Morley J, Smith N, Gibson A, Khunti K (2023) Patient and public involvement within epidemiological studies of Long Covid in the United Kingdom. Nature Medicine. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02251-5.

O'Mahoney L, Routen A, Ekezie W, Welford A, Zhang A, Karamchandani U, Simms-Williams N, Cassambai S, Ardvani A, Wilkinson TJ, Hawthorne G, Curtis F, Kingsnorth AP, Almaqhawi A, Ward T, Ayoubkhani D, Banerjee A, Calvert M, Shafran R, Stephenson T, Sterne J, Ward H, Evans RA, Gillies C, Zaccardi F, Wright S, Khunti K (2023). The prevalence and long-term health effects of Long Covid among hospitalised and non-hospitalised populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. eClinicalMedicine. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101762.

Khunti K, Feldman EL, Laiteerapong N, Parker W, Routen AC, Peek M (2022) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ethnic minority groups with diabetes. Diabetes Care, (dc212495). DOI: https://doi.org/10.2337/dc21-2495.

Routen A, Akbari A, Banerjee A, Katikireddi SV, Mathur R, McKee M, Nafilyan V, Khunti K (2022) Strategies to record and use ethnicity information in routine health data. Nature Medicine. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-01842-y.

Routen A, O'Mahoney L, Ayoubkhani D, Banerjee A, Brightling C, Calvert M, Chaturvedi N, Diamond I, Eggo R, Elliott P, Evans RA, Haroon S, Herret E, O'Hara ME, Shafran R, Stanborough J, Stephenson T, Sterne J, Ward H, Khunti K (2022) Understanding and tracking the impact of long Covid in the United Kingdom. Nature Medicine, (28(6-16)). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01591-4.

Routen A, Abner S, Levene LS, Gillies CLL, Davies M, Seidu S, André Ng G, Khunti K (2022) Variations in documentation of atrial fibrillation predicted by population and service level characteristics in primary health care in England. Journal of Public Health, 14:fdac009. DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdac009

Ash has co-supervised one PhD student to completion (Anna Chalkley, Loughborough University, 2016-2020) and examined postgraduate theses at MRes and MPhil level.

Supervisory Experience:

Ardra Giboy, Doctoral Student - University of Leicester, UK; 2024-2029.
Supervisory Role: Second Supervisor; Dissertation: Public/HCP understanding of race, ethnicity, and ancestry.

Monica Kundu, Doctoral Student - University of Leicester, UK; 2023-2028.
Supervisory Role: Lead Supervisor; Dissertation: Inequalities in precision medicine in under-served groups.

Enos Sekwo, Doctoral Student - University of Leicester, UK; 2023-2028.
Supervisory Role: Lead Supervisor; Dissertation: Developing a framework to increase diversity in genomic studies.

Zara Kayani, Doctoral Student - University of Leicester, UK; 2022-2026.
Supervisory Role: Lead Supervisor; Dissertation: Advancing understanding on management of multimorbidity in ethnic minority populations and under-representation in associated clinical research.

Ellen Hopwood, Doctoral Student - University of Leicester, UK; 2021-2025.
Supervisory Role: Third Supervisor; Dissertation: Advancing understanding on the self-management of multimorbidity.

Anna Chalkley, Doctoral Student - University of Loughborough, UK; 2016-2020.
Supervisory Role: Supervisory Team; Dissertation: Implementation evaluation of a primary school-based running programme.

Ash has experience of teaching on undergraduate courses, including leading modules, leading seminars, and delivering guest lectures.

Module Leader
School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, UK; 2017
Module: 22PSC032 - Physical Activity and Health of Children (Final Year Undergraduate)

Module Contributions (Guest Lectures)
School of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Worcester, UK; 2009-2011
Module: SPRT3024 - Physical Activity in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease.

BBC Radio Leicester Live Interview – in relation to paper on ethnic minority bereavement during Covid-19; March 2021.

BBC Radio Leicester Live Interview – in relation recruitment of ethnic minority communities to research during Covid-19; March 2021.

ITV East Midlands Recorded Television Interview – In relation to physically active learning in schools; 2018.

BBC One Live Television Interview – In relation to BBC Supermovers project launch; 2018.

Ash has acted as a peer-reviewer for over 30 public health journals such as The Lancet, International Journal of Epidemiology and BMJ Open. In addition he has reviewed grant applications for a variety of funding bodies:

• National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Policy Research Programme, Subject Matter Expert; 2022.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Medical Research Council UK (MRC), OFFICIAL UK-India COVID-19 Partnership Initiative; 2021.
• Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity Research Fund, Project Grant; 2016.
• Medical Research Council UK (MRC), Methodology Research Panel; 2014
• National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care East Midlands (CLAHRC EM); 2014.

He has also provided consultancy for the South Asian Health Foundation, Public Health England, UNESCO, Youth Sport Trust, BBC and the English Premier League.

• PhD - Physical Activity and Public Health University of Worcester (2013)
• PGCert - Research Methods University of Worcester (2009)
• MSc - Sport and Health Sciences University of Exeter (2008)
• BSc - Exercise and Sport Sciences University of Exeter (2007)