Dr Maria Zubair

I work in the broader areas of ageing and health & social care. My research interests focus specifically on: (1) Health inequalities (including racialised health inequalities); (2) Social inequalities relating to healthy ageing; and (3) Older and minority-ethnic people’s experiences of health & wellbeing and health & social care access and support. I am a Sociologist by academic background and primarily a qualitative researcher. I hold a BSc Honours in Sociology and English Studies an MSc in Sociology with Research Training and a PhD in Sociology. Since completing my PhD I have been involved in six large-scale multi-disciplinary research projects within the fields of ageing ‘race’ & ethnicity and health & care. Funded by the ESRC, the NIHR and the Dunhill Medical Trust these projects have been focussed within the broader area of health/ healthcare and wellbeing of racialised, minority ethnic and ageing populations. My current role at the University of Leicester involves work in an NIHR funded feasibility study looking at the introduction of multi-component cardiovascular health screening within the NHS abdominal aortic aneurysm screening programmes in the UK.

I am a member of the SAPPHIRE research group (Social science APPlied to Healthcare Improvement REsearch, University of Leicester).

Zubair, M.; Bown, M. and Armstrong, N. (2022) ‘Introducing multi-component cardiovascular health screening into existing Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening programmes in the UK: a qualitative study of programme staff views’ in BMC Health Services Research. Vol. 22:569; doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-07975-7.

Fletcher, J; Zubair, M. and Roche, M. (2021) ‘The neuropsychiatric biopolitics of dementia and its ethnicity problem’ in The Sociological Review. doi: 10.1177/00380261211059920.

Woolrych, R.; Duvurru, J.; Portella, A.; Sixsmith, J.; Menezes, D.; Fisher, J.; Lawthom, R.; Reddy, S.; Datta, A.; Chakravarty, I.; Khan, A.; Murray, M.; Makita, M.; Zubair, M. and Pereira, G. (2020) ‘Ageing in Urban Neighbourhoods: Exploring Place Insideness Amongst Older Adults in India, Brazil and the United Kingdom’ in Psychology and Developing Societies. Vol. 32, No. 2: 201 – 223.

Lasrado, R.; Baker, S.; Zubair, M.; Kasier, P.; Lasrado, V.; Rizzo, M.; Govia, I. and Edge, D. (2020) ‘Exploring dementia care systems across the African-Caribbean diaspora: a scoping review and consultation exercise’ in The Gerontologist. Vol. 61, No. 5: e209 – e227.

Chadborn, N.H.; Goodman, C.; Zubair, M.; Sousa, L.; Gladman, J.R.F.; Dening, T. and Gordon, A.L. (2019) ‘Role of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in Healthcare of Older People in UK Care Homes: realist review’ in BMJ Open. Vol. 9, No. 4: e026921.

Gordon, A.L.; Goodman, C,; Davies, S.L.; Dening, T,; Gage, H.; Meyer, J.; Schneider, J.; Bell, B.; Jordan, J.; Martin, F.C.; Iliffe, S.; Bowman, C.; Gladman, J.R.F.; Victor, C.; Mayrhofer, A.; Handley, M. and Zubair, M. (2018) ‘Optimal healthcare delivery to care homes in the UK: a realist evaluation of what supports effective working to improve healthcare outcomes’ in Age and Ageing. Vol. 47, No. 4: 595 – 603.

Zubair, M.; Chadborn, N.H.; Gladman, J.R.F.; Dening, T.; Gordon, A.L. and Goodman, C. (2017) ‘Using comprehensive geriatric assessment for quality improvements in healthcare of older people in UK care homes: protocol for realist review within Proactive Healthcare of Older People in Care Homes (PEACH) study’ in BMJ Open. Vol. 7, No. 10: e017270.

Zubair, S. and Zubair, M. (2017) ‘Situating Islamic Feminism(s): Lived Religion, Negotiation of Identity and Assertion of Third Space by Muslim Women in Pakistan’ in Women’s Studies International Forum. Vol. 63: 17 – 26.

Goodman, C.; Dening, T.; Gordon, A.L.; Davies, S.L.; Meyer, J.; Martin, F.C.; Gladman, J.R.; Bowman, C.; Victor, C.; Handley, M.; Gage, H.; Iliffe, S. and Zubair, M. (2016) ‘Effective Health Care for Older People Living and Dying in Care Homes: A Realist Review’ in BMC Health Services Research. Vol. 16:269; doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1493-4.

Giebel, C.M.;  Jolley, D.; Zubair, M.; Bhui, K.S.; Challis, D.; Purandare, N. and Worden, A. (2016) ‘Adaptation of the Barts Explanatory Model Inventory to Dementia Understanding in South Asian Ethnic Minorities’ in Aging & Mental Health. Vol. 20, No. 6: 594 – 602.

Zubair, M. and Norris, M. (2015) ‘Perspectives on Ageing, Later Life and Ethnicity: Ageing Research in Ethnic Minority Contexts’ in Ageing & Society. Vol. 35, No. 5: 897 – 916.

Zubair, M. and Victor, C. (2015) ‘Exploring Gender, Age, Time and Space in Research with Older Pakistani Muslims in the UK: Formalised Research ‘Ethics’ and Performances of the Public/Private Divide in ‘The Field’’ in Ageing & Society. Vol. 35, No. 5: 961 – 85.

Giebel, C.M.; Zubair, M.; Jolley, D.; Bhui, K.S.; Purandare, N.; Worden, A. and Challis, D. (2015) ‘South Asian Older Adults with Memory Impairment: Improving Assessment and Access to Dementia Care’ in International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Vol. 30, No. 4: 345 – 56.

Goodman, C.; Davies, S.L.; Gordon, A.L.; Meyer, J.; Dening, T.; Gladman, J.R.F.; Iliffe, S.; Zubair, M.; Bowman, C.; Victor, C. and Martin, F.C. (2015) ‘Relationships, Expertise, Incentives, and Governance: Supporting Care Home Residents' Access to Health Care. An interview study from England’ in Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. Vol. 16, No. 5: 427 – 32. 

Gordon, A.L.;  Goodman, C.; Dening, T.; Davies, S.L.; Gladman, J.R.F.; Bell, B.; Zubair, M.; Handley, M.J.; Meyer, J.; Bowman, C.; Gage, H.; Iliffe, S.; Martin, F.C.; Schneider, J.; Victor, C. (2014) ‘The Optimal Study: Describing the Key Components of Optimal Health Care Delivery to UK Care Home Residents – A Research Protocol’ in Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. Vol. 15, No.9: 681 – 6.

Zubair, M.; Martin, W. and Victor, C. (2012) ‘Embodying Gender, Age, Ethnicity and Power in “The Field”: Reflections on Dress and the Presentation of the Self in Research with Older Pakistani Muslims’ in Sociological Research Online. Vol. 17, No. 3: http://www.socresonline.org.uk/17/3/21.html .

Victor, C.; Martin, W.; and Zubair, M. (2012) ‘Families and Caring amongst Older People in South Asian Communities in the UK: A pilot study’. European Journal of Social Work. Vol. 15, No. 1: 81 – 96.

Zubair, M.; Martin, W. and Victor, C. (2010) ‘Researching Ethnicity: Critical Reflections on Conducting Qualitative Research with People Growing Older in Pakistani Muslim Communities in the UK’. Generations Review. Vol. 20, No. 1: http://www.britishgerontology.org/DB/gr-editions-2/generations-review/researching-ethnicity-critical-reflections-on-cond.html .

Zubair, M. (2003) ‘You’ve Gotta Do Somethings and He’s Gotta Do Somethings: Identities of British Pakistani Women’ in Alam-E-Niswan: Pakistan Journal of Women’s Studies. Vol. 10, No. 1: 55 – 68.

Zubair, M. (2003) ‘Literacy, Knowledge and Power: Marital Experiences of British Pakistani Women’ in Journal Of Research, B.Z. University Multan. Vol. 20: 21 – 40.

Zubair, M. (2001) ‘Topic Initiation, Development And Shift In Conversations’ in Journal Of Research, B.Z. University Multan. Vol. 1: 19 – 46.

Research interests:

Ageing

Dementia

'Race' & Ethnicity

Health Inequalities

Topics of interest:

'Race' & Ethnicity

Health Inequalities

Ageing

Dementia

'Race' & Ethnicity

Health Inequalities

BSc in Sociology and English Studies

MSc in Sociology with Research Training

PhD in Sociology