Dr Zeb Sattar

Assistant Professor

School: Communities and Education

I am Assistant Professor of Public Health at Northumbria University, specialising in ethnic health inequalities, religion, and culture in health and social care. My work is centrally concerned with addressing issues of inequality, social justice, and exclusion with a particular focus on South Asian and Muslim communities in my native North East and beyond. I have led a number interdisciplinary and engagement rich projects on living options (care homes) and frailty, dementia and loneliness and dietary practices of school children supported by competitive funding from, e.g. NIHR and Innovate UK. My research is co-produced with communities, practitioners, service users and health and social care staff to ensure culturally tailored and impactful outcomes.

My research is underpinned by a strong commitment to participatory and co-produced methods, ensuring that the voices of marginalised groups shape research design, interpretation, and impact.

Recent work has informed debates on addressing health inequalities and interventions to engage diverse communities to address access to healht and social care provision, with forthcoming published work in journals including Global Discourse and Health and Social Care in the Community. It has also been covered by BBC Newcastle and local radio.

My collaborative skills were recognised at the Shine Awards 2025, important to understand barriers to accessing health and social care and develop culturally tailored interventions. I have regularly led on a research newtwork of over 100 academics, public and third sector personnel, clinical practitioners and Public members to exchange knowledge on disseminating research on SAM contemporary issues to strengthen the real-world impact of research.

I am Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and contribute to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in Public Health, research methods and strategic management. I supervise PhD students and have a strong interest in enhancing student experience including international students.

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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Research Interests

My research interests span across the life course and interdisciplinary including participatory methodologies. My speciliasm is ethnic health research and I am alsways keen to support researchers to advance knowledge to shape national and international debates on health inequality and culturally sensitive policy and practice.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
British Muslim children’s and parents’ views on halal school food: a participatory study, Sattar, Z., Khan, H., Hadi, A., Shrimpton, L., Carr, S., Defeyter, G. 1 May 2026, In: Global Discourse
Navigating between spaces: faith based stigma among South Asian and Muslin carers of individuals with problematic drug and alcohol use, Sattar, Z., Shrimpton, L., Alderson, H., Sahito, A., McGovern, R., McGovern, W. 1 May 2026, In: Global Discourse
P07-8 Participatory insights into ageing and care: a qualitative study of South Asian and muslim communities, Sattar, Z., Hussain, N., Stansfield, S., Ajibade, B., Geddes, L., Brittain, K., Steven, A., Alderson, H., McGovern, R. 17 Apr 2026, In: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
P18-1 Participatory frameworks addressing silence among South Asian and muslim carers of substance users: a qualitative study, Sattar, Z., Shrimpton, L., Anderson, H., McGovern, R., McGovern, W. 17 Apr 2026, In: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Perceptions of a UK Bangladeshi community on accessing dementia health and care services within the context of the English National Dementia Strategy, Hussain, N., Clark, A., Innes, A., Sattar, Z., Ahmed, Z. 1 May 2026, In: Global Discourse
Perceptions of older South Asian and Chinese people of social activities to address loneliness, Sattar, Z., Ahmed, S., Ahmed, Z., Shrimpton, L., Luddington, S., Lai, F., Carr, S. 1 May 2026, In: Global Discourse
Rational Risk or Cultural Resistance: Co-Produced Findings on Structural Barriers to Drug and Alcohol Recovery Among South Asian Muslim Communities in England, Sattar, Z., Shajan, A., Stansfield, S., Cave, M., Khan, H., Dakri, M., McGovern, W. 7 Sep 2026, In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Balancing individual rights and risks: A systematic review of qualitative studies of perspectives on older adults' alcohol use in residential care settings, Nichol, B., Charlton, C., Scott, J., Steer, M., Sattar, Z., Haighton, C. 1 Dec 2025, In: Ageing & Society
Caregiving Across Cultures: Understanding the Interplay of Strain, Self-Perception of Ageing, and Health., Lai, F., Sattar, Z., Siu, A., Hai, E., Whittington, S., Lai, C., Chan, W., Luddington, S., Yip, B. 1 Jul 2025, In: Journal of Rehabilitation
Community asset mapping: An ethical, strength-based approach to co-production and inclusion, Hall, K., Shrimpton, L., Alderson, H., Lhussier, M., McGovern, R., Sattar, Z., Watson, P., McGovern, W. 10 Nov 2025, Public Involvement and Community Engagement in Applied Health and Social Care Research, Leeds, Emerald

Current and Recent Projects

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Exploring Non-clinical Drug and Alcohol harm and service access experiences of British South Asian youth, Sattar, Z. (Principal Investigator), Sattar, Z. (Co Investigator), Newcastle City Council, 01/04/23 - 31/03/24, £24,211.00
Community Asset Mapping the Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Services, Organisations and Recovery Groups in the Newcastle Area, McGovern, W. (Principal Investigator), Sattar, Z. (Co Investigator), Newcastle City Council, 01/02/23 - 31/01/24, £49,971.00

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Invited talk: Reducing stigma, addressing trauma and improving outcomes for families’, research conference 2026
Invited talk: Halal, Health, and the limits of 'choice': A case study in school food policy and inequality 2026
Invited talk: Halal, Health, and the Limits of 'Choice' A Case Study in School Food Policy and Inequality 2026
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: Annual Research Conference 2026
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: Annual SSCR Conference: NIHR 2026
Visiting an external academic institution: University of Toronto 2026
Visiting an external academic institution: University of Calgary 2026
Other: International UN/UNITAR Visit-Research Networking and Collaboration 2026
Visiting an external academic institution: Columbia University Medical Center 2026
Invited talk: Halal School Food: British Muslim Children's & Parents' Views 2026

PGR Supervision

Damilola Daniel How Do Domestic Violence Organisations Manage Crisis, exploring the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic Start Date: 18/01/2021 End Date: 22/12/2025

Qualifications