Dr Shabana Shafiq
Research Fellow
Shabana joined the Academic Unit for Ageing and Stroke Research in September 2024. She is working as a Research Fellow and will be conducting qualitative research with older women living with osteoporosis and healthcare professionals, to guide improvements in Osteoporosis Care.
Shabana has a background in psychology having completed her undergraduate degree in Counselling and Psychology, followed by a Masters in Psychology at the University of Bradford. She also recently completed her PhD exploring the barriers and facilitators to accessing support services for UK South Asian families living with frailty. Shabana’s study used a hermeneutic phenomenology methodology and health psychology framework to explore the experiences of South Asian older people and family carers living with frailty, identify perceived barriers to accessing services, and develop recommendations to reduce barriers and enable timely access to frailty support services for this population group.
Publications
Heaven A, Kime N, Shafiq S, Harrison N, Connor J, Johansson JF, Teale E, Sharp C. “I have no idea who does the bone thing” A qualitative exploration of older women and healthcare professionals’ experiences to guide improvements in osteoporosis care. British Journal of General Practice 2026;. https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2026.0003
Shafiq S, Kime N, Johansson JF, Teale E, Connor J, Sharp C, Heaven A. Perceptions, beliefs, and experiences of living with osteoporosis among UK South Asian older women. Archives of Osteoporosis 2026; 21:92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11657-026-01726-5
Akhtar, A., Shafiq, S., Parveen, S., Nwofe, E. and Windle, K. (2025), Exploring the Impact of Cognitive Dysfunction During Recurrent Depression in a Sample of Mid-to-Older Age British South Asians: A Qualitative Study. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs, 32: 332-341. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.13113
Akhtar A, Nwofe E, Shafiq S, et al. (2026) Understanding cognitive dysfunction in depression: perspectives and practices of UK health and social care professionals, a qualitative study. BMJ Open, 16:e109285. https://doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2025-109285
Akhtar A, Shafiq S, Parveen S, Nwofe E, Windle K (2026) Treatment experiences and preferences of British South Asians living with recurrent depression. PLoS One 21(4):e0348170. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0348170
Shafiq, S., Haith-Cooper, M., Hawkins, R., & Parveen, S. (2023), What are lay UK public perceptions of frailty: A scoping review. Age and Ageing, 52, 4, afad045.
Shafiq, S., Haith-Cooper, M., Hawkins, R., & Parveen, S. (2023). Perceptions and experiences of South Asian families living with frailty in England: a hermeneutic phenomenological study. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 12 (1).
Akhtar A, Shafiq S, Parveen S, Nwofe E, Windle K. (2024) Exploring the Impact of Cognitive Dysfunction During Recurrent Depression in a Sample of Mid-to-Older Age British South Asians: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.13113