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Brighton & Sussex Medical School

Sussex Women’s Health Research Group

BSMS > Research > Primary care and public health > Sussex Women's Health Research Group

Sussex Women's Health Research Group

“While women in the UK on average live longer than men, women spend a significantly greater proportion of their lives in ill health and disability when compared with men. And while women make up 51% of the population, historically the health and care system has been designed by men for men” (Women’s Health Strategy, 2022).

Globally, nationally and regionally, women continue to be neglected in terms of access to healthcare services and healthcare research. 

Sussex has been described as a ‘microcosm of England’, with stark differences in access to care and health outcomes between women who live in different coastal and rural geographical areas and women who identify as belonging to underserved groups. The quality and inequity in access to women’s healthcare, disparities in health outcomes related to intersecting disadvantages, and the lack of research prioritisation for women’s health, have been recognised regionally by the Sussex Integrated Care System, Sussex Health and Care Research Partnership, and NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey & Sussex. 

Our aim is to contribute collaborative interdisciplinary expertise in women’s health, health equity, coastal community health, co-production, and implementation research, to address the established and emerging regional and national health priorities in women’s healthcare.

Our overarching goals are to:

  • Deliver excellent research to make a real difference to women’s lived experience
  • Increase the number of self-identifying women participating in research
  • Expand mentorship to support women-led research initiatives
  • Strengthen connections between regional, national, and international stakeholders to improve access to development and grant opportunities
  • Contribute to regional, national, and international healthcare policies, such as the Women’s Health Strategy, to improve women’s health particularly focused on the most under-resourced areas across Kent, Surrey & Sussex.

A graphic logo for the Sussex Women's Health Research Group

BACKGROUND IMAGE FOR PANEL

KSS Women's Health Research Network 

A group of people listening to a talk

The Kent, Surrey, and Sussex (KSS) Women's Health Research Network (WHRN) was established in July 2023. The WHRN meets every four months for an hour-long session where current research in women's health is presented to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among researchers. Please email l.roberts@bsms.ac.uk to join this network and to keep updated with news and events by receiving our newsletter.

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Public engagement and collaboration

A group of people attending a talk, photo taken from the back of the room showing a full stage and seating area

The KSS WHRN has hosted successful public engagement events, such as the inaugural 'Valuing the Voices of Women in Coastal Communities' initiative in May 2024, funded by a Researcher Led Initiative Fund (University of Sussex). This annual event highlighted the intersecting dimensions of inequality faced by self-identifying women in accessing healthcare and reflected the diversity of their experiences. The keynote speech was delivered by the first Women’s Health Ambassador for the UK, Dame Lesley Regan.

Read more here >

Please join us for our next Valuing the Voices Public Engagement event on Thursday 25 September at the Brighthelm Centre, Brighton. Booking link to follow.

Celebrating successes in 2024/25

A group of people networking at an event

  • Catalyst Funding from the Sussex Health Care Research Partnership to build a woman-led team to improve midlife women’s intimate health and wellbeing for stakeholder collaborations to apply for research funding (Research Catalyst Fund - BSMS)
  • NIHR ARC KSS Individual Development Award to Dr Claudia DeGiovanni, Consultant Dermatologist, University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust: The impact of menopause and perimenopause on the skin. Investigating skin symptoms, and how dermatological conditions are affected through menopause and exploring barriers to accessing healthcare for skin concerns (Mentor Llewellyn)
  • NIHR ARC KSS Individual Development Award to Dr Nina Lockwood, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Brighton and Sussex Medical School: Advancing awareness and early-intervention strategies to improve suicide prevention for autistic adults in Sussex. Read more here. (Mentor de Visser)
  • Midwives at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and anthropologist Dr Caroline Ackley at Brighton and Sussex Medical School partnering on maternity health inequities research
  • International collaborations stemming from successful application through open competition awarded to Dr Kiersten Simmons to attend Women in Global Infectious Diseases across a Woman’s Lifespan Course at Weill Cornell Medical School, New York (May 2025)
  • Anya Robinson (MSc student at BSMS) poster accepted at 15th International Workshop on Women & HIV 2025 title: WONDER: HIV in Women bOne miNeral Density fracturE and fRailty: an evaluation of the knowledge and attitudes of bone density in women living with HIV (Authors: Robinson A, Gileece Y, Llewellyn CD, Vera Rojas J, Murau F)
  • University of Sussex Junior Research Bursary awarded to student Sarah Lancaster in 2025 (Team: Llewellyn, Simmons, Lockwood, Zeeman)
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Dissemination and outputs

Simmons, K; Llewellyn, C; Bremner, S; Gilleece, Y; Norcross, C; Iwuji, C (2024) The Barriers and Enablers to accessing Sexual Health and Sexual Wellbeing Services for Midlife Women (aged 40-65 years) in High Income Countries: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review. Women’s Health 20. https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057241277723

Berry, C., Fountain, J., Forbes, L., Bogen-Johnston, L., Thomson, A., Zylko, Y., ... & Michelson, D. (2024). Developing a hope-focused intervention to prevent mental health problems and improve social outcomes for young women who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET): A qualitative co-design study in deprived coastal communities in South-East England. Plos one, 19(5), e0304470: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0304470 

de Visser, R.O., Moseley, R., Gamble-Turner, J., Hull, L., Sedgewick, F., Featherstone, C., Quint OBE, C., Freeman, E., & Karavidas, M. (2024). Unmet need for autism-aware care for gynaecological, menstrual and sexual wellbeing. Autism, 29, 934-944. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241290628  

Nyikavaranda P, Pantelic M, Jones CJ, Paudyal P, Tunks A, Llewellyn C (2023)  Barriers and Facilitators to Seeking and Accessing Mental Health Support in Primary Care and the Community Among Female Migrants in Europe: A “Feminisms” Systematic Review International Journal for Equity in Health 22, 196; 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-023-01990-8

Karavidas M, de Visser RO. (2022) "It's Not Just in My Head, and It's Not Just Irrelevant": Autistic Negotiations of Menopausal Transitions. J Autism Dev Disord. 52(3):1143-1155. doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-05010-y "It's Not Just in My Head, and It's Not Just Irrelevant": Autistic Negotiations of Menopausal Transitions - PubMed

Simmons, K; Newport, M; Llewellyn, C. Public engagement event: Improving access to women’s health and wellbeing services for women in coastal communities in the UK. Poster presented at Faculty for Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference; July 12th, 2024; Birmingham, UK.

Simmons, K; Lockwood, N; Fraser, S; Frastali, A; Gilleece, Y; Llewellyn C. The Kent, Surrey, and Sussex Women’s Health Network: Improving equity in health research and projecting the voices of under-served women. Poster presented at British HIV Association Conference; April 24th, 2025; Brighton, UK.

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Current projects

POWER

This study aims to address three important national and regional healthcare and research challenges: improving women's health and wellbeing services, improving healthcare in coastal communities, and destigmatising women-centred aspects of sexual health and sexual wellbeing.

Find out more here >

The Hopeful Project

The HOPEFUL project addresses the disproportionate impact of being not in education, employment, or training (NEET) on young women, particularly in deprived coastal areas, where low hope is linked to poorer long-term mental health and social outcomes. Through participatory research and co-design with NEET young women and practitioners, the project developed a psychosocial intervention that builds hope by enhancing self-belief, increasing engagement in meaningful activities, and supporting goal-setting.

Find out more here >

WONDER: HIV in Women bOne miNeral Density fracturE and fRailty; an evaluation of the knowledge and attitudes of bone density in women living with HIV

This study explored the knowledge and attitudes of women living with HIV (WLWH) in Sussex regarding bone health, a key concern due to the combined impact of antiretroviral therapy, aging, and menopause. 

Find out more here >

BOW HIV Cohort

This project aims to establish a women’s HIV database to monitor long-term health outcomes for patients at the Sunflower Clinic, a nationally recognised, women-centred HIV service within the Lawson Unit in Sussex. The clinic provides holistic care for around 250 women and serves as a model of best practice across the UK and Europe.

Find out more here >

Sexual health and sexual wellbeing services for women aged 40-65 years: A health equity lens

This PhD project explores the barriers and enablers to sexual health and wellbeing (SHSW) services for midlife women (aged 40–65) living in under-resourced areas of Sussex, using mixed methods and a feminist, intersectional approach. It aims to co-produce practical strategies and materials to improve equitable access to SHSW services, informed by research across policy, lived experience, and healthcare systems.

Find out more here >

Let’s Talk Study

This study aims to improve conversations about sexual health and herpes during pregnancy and in the time after birth.

Find out more here >

Promoting autism-aware sexual and reproductive healthcare

This project aims to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care for autistic people by exploring their experiences and the barriers they face, including sensory sensitivities and a lack of autism-aware healthcare. Through surveys, interviews, and co-designed workshops with autistic individuals and healthcare professionals, the project will create online resources to support both patients and providers in delivering and accessing more inclusive SRH care.

Find out more here >

Advancing awareness and early-intervention strategies to improve suicide prevention for autistic adults in Sussex

Suicide is the primary cause of premature death for autistic people. Statistics clearly indicate the greater risk of death by suicide among autistic people compared to non-autistic people. Research also highlights the need to consider how the intersection of autism and gender identity influences suicidality, with autistic women representing a particularly vulnerable group. The principal aim of this NIHR-funded project is to advance current understanding of the development of suicidality among autistic adults, to guide the development of more appropriate early-intervention strategies that carefully consider the needs of autistic women.

Find out more here >

Intimate Health Inequalities Among Midlife LGBT+ Women

This study explores how midlife LGBT+ women (aged 40–65) in Sussex experience intimate health and wellbeing services, a group often overlooked in research and care design. Through interviews in coastal areas, it aims to understand their needs, satisfaction with current services, and expectations of the new Sussex Women’s Health and Wellbeing Service Hub, while highlighting barriers such as ageism, heteronormativity, and implicit bias.

Find out more here >

The views of people who identify as women, non-binary, and trans masculine, who were diagnosed with HIV in midlife in Sussex: A qualitative study 

This study will use narrative enquiry, which can generate nuanced, contextualised, culturally reflective information, to amplify the voices of women in East Sussex who had a late diagnosis of HIV between the ages of 40-65 years, and to identify themes common to the delay in their diagnoses.

Find out more here >

IMPACT STUDY 

Our research team are currently conducting two studies to investigate skin symptoms experienced during the peri/menopause. Menopause is a natural biological process that affects females in mid-life.  Every person experiences it differently and there are lots of changes in the body that are noted at this time such as hot flushes, disturbed sleep, headaches, anxiety and joint pains.  The skin and hair can also be affected during the menopause in many ways such as dryness/ soreness/ hair loss. We are therefore asking individuals experiencing perimenopause or menopause to share their experiences with us to help us gain a better understanding of this and to improve the management of symptoms.   

Take part in the survey >   

Impact of duration of antibiotic therapy on effectiveness, safety and selection of antibiotic resistance in adult women with urinary tract infections (UTI): a randomised controlled trial

This research aims to find the shortest antibiotic treatment duration needed to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women effectively.

Find out more here >

Memory and Menopause: Do mid-life changes in oestrogen differentially affect cognition in carriers of the APOE e4 genetic risk variant for Alzheimer’s Disease?

This project investigates whether menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) interact with genetic risk for Alzheimer’s to influence women’s cognitive health in midlife.

Find out more here >

Other ongoing projects

  • The use of co-creation and creative research methods to improve access to sexual health and sexual wellbeing services for women aged 40-65 years.
  • The Brighton and Hove Health Counts Survey: HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Awareness and sociodemographic correlates among women aged 40-65 years.
  • The IMPACT study: the study of Perimenopause and Menopause and how this affects the skin. Find out more here.

Collaborators

NIHR Applied Research Collaboration, Kent, Surrey and Sussex (arc-kss.nihr.ac.uk)

Joint meetings and events with the Kent Inclusive Women’s Research Group (kent.ac.uk/iwhrg-kent)

Joint meetings with the BSMS Stigma Working Group (bsms.ac.uk/stigma-working-group) 

Joint research with the School of Health and Care Sciences, University of Lincoln (Dr Helene Markham-Jones and Prof Ros Kane).

Health Innovation Network KSS Women’s Health Lead

ARC Primary and Community Health Services theme (arc-kss.nihr.ac.uk/research-knowledge-mobilisation/primary-and-community-services).

We welcome new collaborators and are committed to progressing our understanding of issues affecting women and girls (inclusive definitions). If you want to join us please contact c.d.llewellyn@bsms.ac.uk or Leigh Roberts (primarycareda@bsms.ac.uk) or any of the team listed.