The Qualitative Open Mic

Johnny Saldaña, Professor emeritus of Arizona State University and a trailblazer in qualitative inquiry, discusses his controversial stance on blue-collar qualitative research. He challenges the elitism pervasive in academia and advocates for the inclusion of diverse voices. Saldaña shares insights on the dangers of academic jargon, pushing for clearer communication to foster accessibility. He emphasizes the importance of lived experiences and multidisciplinary approaches in qualitative research, ultimately calling for solutions that resonate with the communities studied.

Why are there limited voices from sanctuary seekers in qualitative research about migrant health? Tesfalem Yemane and Hyab Yohannes bring a vital perspective on 'refugee-led scholarship', dissecting the challenges and significance of broadening the scholarly space to include those who have first-hand experience seeking sanctuary. 

Amy Wells, who works in communications for the National Survivor User Network, dives deep into the critical issue of tokenism in research involving service users. She highlights the thin line between genuine engagement and superficial involvement, stressing the importance of recognizing lived experiences as valuable insights. The discussion covers barriers to meaningful participation, advocating for innovative funding approaches like crowdfunding, and the necessity for ethical, long-term relationships with user-led groups to foster true collaboration.

Amidst the ongoing occupation and genocide in Palestine, how do qualitative health researchers navigate their work and find their voice? What kind of research is it possible or ethical to do under siege? This episode, Sohail speaks to Weeam Hammoudeh, Zeina Amro, and Layth Hanbali. They delve into the courage, resilience, and ethical considerations that researchers from this region grapple with, touching upon the broader implications for academic freedom and advocacy.

Watch this space for the next episode in our controversies series - we're translating the transcript for this one into Arabic so we've got a slight delay and will have it out next week. Join us then for "Health research under siege: being a qualitative researcher in Palestine".

Peter West-Oram, an expert on government influence in research, discusses the implications of political sensitivities on academic integrity. He highlights a recent controversy sparked by government accusations against a UKRI committee regarding their views on Palestine. Alongside Sohail, they tackle the complexities of culture wars in research and the legal challenges faced by academics. The conversation delves into how government funding affects research independence and the precarious position of scholars amid rising political pressures.

Ginger Johnson, an expert in qualitative research with a focus on emergency response planning, challenges the idea that qualitative data is slow and ineffective. She discusses the vital role qualitative insights play in understanding human behavior and community dynamics during crises. Ginger shares real-life examples of how qualitative research informed emergency responses, especially in refugee situations. She highlights the importance of local researchers and adapting research methods for immediate, sensitive interventions, proving that every narrative truly matters in emergencies.

Sohail speaks to Tiarna Lee to explore the frontier of AI's role in health research.explore the frontier of AI's role in health research. While technology offers innovative ways to approach analysis, it comes with its unique set of challenges. From ethical considerations to methodological accuracy, join us as we dissect the potential and pitfalls of integrating AI in research. We ask, “can you have qualitative health research without the heart and soul?” Tiarna is a third year PhD student at the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences. Her research focuses on evaluating fairness and biases in AI used for cardiac imaging. In her work, she has found that models trained with imbalanced datasets have a worse performance on underrepresented subjects, often minority ethnicities and females. She is currently aiming to find the sources of these biases so that she can then find a method to address and mitigate them.

In July 2023, all of the 44 editors of acclaimed Critical Public Health journal simultaneously resigned, citing concerns about Taylor and Francis' pricing system. They went on to found a new independent journal, the Journal of Critical Public Health. We speak to an editorial board member who resigned, Kirsten Bell. Kirsten sheds light on the intricate dynamics between profit, pricing, and the neoliberal influence on qualitative health research. 

Joy Llewellyn-Beardsley, a mental health researcher known for NEON and work on recovery narratives, discusses how lived experience shapes interpretation in qualitative research. Multiple approaches are explored, including co-analysis and advisory panels. She warns against tokenism and over-simplifying identities, and highlights when and how interpretation starts across a study.