Laetitia Zeeman

Dr Laetitia Zeeman has developed a research and scholarly focus in the field of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion to address the specific health needs of minority populations. Her research has evolved around gender, sexualities and health to inform healthcare education. With an increasing awareness of the health inequalities experienced by minority populations, as we develop ways of addressing the causes of these inequalities, the motivation for this work is to co-produce participatory and socially just healthcare systems. With the related provision of culturally sensitive education for health professions students, her teaching tackles the barriers that people may experience when accessing healthcare. The overarching aim of her research, scholarly activity and teaching is to achieve greater health equity.

Current Remit

Currently working as a Principal Lecturer at the University of Brighton, she is the Equality and Diversity lead for the School of Education, Sport and Health Sciences, the lead for Athena Swan whilst serving on the management board for the Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender (CTSG). External roles include acting as the research lead for Mental Health Nurse Academics UK (MHNAUK), working with the Council of Europe on LGBT+ health, and external examining of PhDs at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the University of Southampton, the University of Cape Town and the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Former Remit

Educated as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Mental Health and a narrative therapist, her academic career commenced at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa with her thesis entitled a Critical discourse analysis of gender in a post-Apartheid cultural context (2000). She is a member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, UK. Former roles include acting as the research lead for Mental Health at the School of Health Sciences, University of Brighton, and she has fulfilled a range of education leadership roles as the lead for Mental Health at University of Pretoria, South Africa, course leadership for BSc (Hons) Mental Health at the University of Brighton, and course leadership for B.Sc. (Hons) Clinical Practice at the University of Southampton. Other roles include working as a Clinical Governance lead for Priory Healthcare UK (Ticehurst and Hove). 

Current Research

• GambLGBTQ+ Understanding gambling in LGBTQ+ communities (CoPI) funded by GambleAware with YouGov, LGBT+ Switchboard, Dr Alex Sawyer (Co-PI), Dr Helen Johnson, Prof Nigel Sherriff. 
• LGBTI people's access to healthcare in Europe (CoI)funded by the Council of Europe with Dr Alex Sawyer, Prof Nigel Sherriff.
• Mental health professionals' attitudes, knowledge, and preparedness towards LGBTI clients (CoI) in Italy, France and the UK with Prof Nigel Sherriff, Dr Massimo Mirandola, Dr Alex Sawyer, and Dr Francesco Amadeo. 

Former Research

• LGBT+ Gambling (PI) systematic scoping review of gambling funded by GambleAware with Dr Louis Bailey, Dr Alex Sawyer, and Prof Nigel Sherriff. 
• Narrating Difference (CoI) - the Narrating Difference study explores the experiences of sex and gender variance in UK healthcare and legal settings with Dr Evan Hazenberg and Dr Maria Moscati.
• LGBT⁺ Drinkaware (PI) - a systematic scoping review of alcohol use amongst gender and sexual minority people with Prof Catherine Meads, Prof Nigel Sherriff and Dr Kay Aranda.
• Health4LGBTI (CoI)- "Health4LGBTI: Reducing health inequalities experienced by LGBTI people" explores the impact of social determinants on the health and healthcare inequalities of LGBTI people with Prof Nigel Sherriff, Dr Nick McGlynn, Alex Pollard and the Health4LGBTI consortium, funded by the European Commission. The political aim of this work is to address the causes of inequalities  experienced by minority groups. The output informs health service development and delivery for those who lead non-normative lives by acknowledging gender and sexual plurality. The research included developing a training programme for health professionals to address the specific health needs of LGBTI people.
• Covid-19 stories - investigating the impact of Covid-19 on local communities within East Sussex with Dr Alex Sawyer, Prof Nigel Sherriff and Dr Lester Coleman.
• Mental Health Practitioner Role Evaluation (CoI) - a critique of discourses shaping mental health practice with the introduction of innovative roles such as the mental health practitioner role in Hampshire, UK with Dr Joanne Brown and Dr Lucy Simons. This initiative was designed to address workforce shortages in contemporary mental health practice.
• Analysis of the Discursive Construction of Gender (PI) - evolving from mental health practice, a critical discourse analysis aimed to understand the discursive construction of gender, in post-apartheid South Africa. This work questioned normative formations of gender and made visible how cultural and social change occurs, where gender identity, gender expression moved beyond binary formations towards gender plurality.

Supervision support can be provided to PhD students who are interested in queer theory, poststructuralism, the application of critical social theory, new materialism, intersectionality and feminist theory in health-related research. Focus areas include LGBTQ+ health and healthcare, health inequalities, resilience, trans health and mental health promotion with the aim to achieve greater health equity. PhD students she has supervised to completion have worked on studies employing critical social theories, new materialism and qualitative creative methods. She has examined PhD/Professional Doctorate studies at universities in the UK and further afield.  

Current PhD students 

• Mike Phillips, Sacha Mead, Aile Trumm; Sebastian Beaumont, Elisavet Anastasiadi. 

Former PhD students (PhD completions)

• Esther Omotola Ayoola, Amy Middleton, H Howitt, Kim Brown, Tracey Harding, Adam Kincel, Jens Schneider.

Students are encouraged to engage in learning activities that are collaborative combined with participation in discussion and critical debate to generate alternative ways of thinking. Drawing on contemporary health and critical social theory we aim to make meaning of lived experience and other sources of knowledge to co-produce writing and research around:

• Gender and sexualities
• Health inequalities
• Health equity
• Intersectionality
• Decolonisation
• Equality and diversity awareness
• Mental health
• Critical discourse analysis
• Narrative inquiry
• Critical reflection
• Research appraisal
• Evidence-based pactice and values-based practice
• Culture, health and wellbeing