Dr Ilhem Berrou

I am an Associate Professor in Clinical Pharmacy and Community Health, and the founder of Helpful Locals, an online platform that helps people find free health and wellbeing support in their local area. My clinical background is in diabetes and cardiovascular disease management, and my research focuses on reducing health inequalities through the development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based health interventions. I work closely with people, community organisations, and health and care services to co-design research questions, methods, interventions, and evaluation approaches, particularly with communities that are often under-represented in research. My aim is to generate evidence that is relevant to local needs and supports more equitable health and care outcomes.

My current research projects include the Healthy Mosques Study, an NIHR-funded study exploring the impact and cost-effectiveness of delivering health screening, education, and prevention interventions through mosques to support Muslim communities. I also lead the PolyPILL Study, an NIHR-funded project that aims to adapt a pharmacist-led intervention to support children and young people with life-limiting conditions who take multiple medicines.

Further information:

• Helpful Locals: www.helpfullocals.com
• Healthy Mosques Study: www.healthymosques.co.uk