Dr Ishfaq Vaja

Dr Ishfaq Vaja is a Health Psychologist and an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Heriot Watt University Dubai. Ishfaq Vaja received a BSc Applied Psychology, MSc Health Psychology and completed a PhD at Liverpool John Moores University in Applied Psychology and Public Health. His thesis explored Risk Perception and communication within Type 2 Diabetes amongst South Asian ethnic group and developed a bespoke intervention aimed to reduce risk within this target population. Ishfaq has numerous years of teaching experience within HE in the UK and has worked in the NHS (National Health Service) within research.

Ishfaq has expertise within Health Psychology and Public Health. Ishfaq's knowledge impacts health prevention (which overlaps with public health) and is directly applied to the management of long-term conditions. He would be keen on supervising student research projects related to these topics at the undergraduate or postgraduate level.

• Patel T., Umeh K., Poole H., Vaja I., Newson L., (2021). Health Professionals Interface with Cultural Conflict in the Delivery of Type 2 Diabetes Care. Psychology and Health.
•  Patel T., Umeh K., Poole H., Vaja I., Newson L., (2021). Cultural identity conflict informs engagement with self-management behaviours for South Asian patients living with Type 2 Diabetes: a critical interpretative synthesis of qualitative research studies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
• Vaja I., Umeh K., Abayomi J., Patel T., Newson L., (2020). Culturally and Socially Situated Type 2 Diabetes Risk Perceptions: implications for Public Health communication and recruitment to the Diabetes Prevention Programme. British Journal of Health Psychology.
•  Vaja, I. Reducing Air Pollution and Exposure across Bradford. INVITED SPEAKER. Bradford Environment Forum, Virtual, June 2021.
• Vaja, I. Reducing T2D RP in SA community: Working together for better practice. INVITED SPEAKER. Diabetes UK, Virtual, April 2021.
• Vaja, I. Assessing diabetes RP in SA community: Understanding health beliefs, community perspectives on RP. Progressing Diabetes Prevention (NDPP). INVITED SPEAKER. Manchester, UK 26th September 2018.
• Vaja, I. Assessing diabetes RP in SA community: Understanding health beliefs, community perspectives on RP. Diabetes UK, Manchester, UK 18-20 March 2018. Oral Presentation
• Vaja, I. Evaluating T2D Risk Perception in the British South Asian General Population: A mixed methodology and person-centred approach for intervention development. LJMU Postgraduate conference, June 2017, Liverpool, UK. Oral Presentation
• PhD. Sept 2016. Dr Ishfaq Vaja. Evaluating Type 2 Diabetes Risk Perception in the British South Asian General Population: A mixed methodology approach for intervention development. LJMU Studentship, Psychology.