Ranjit Khutan

Head of Public Health and Wellbeing

Current Responsibilities:

Ranjit currently leads and co-ordinates the School’s public health and wellbeing portfolio. He ensures that the management, review, learning outcomes and assessment of Undergraduate and Postgraduate awards in this area comply with the strategic framework of the QAA, the needs of statutory bodies (e.g. the Faculty of Public Health) and are in line with the School's business objectives. He also plays a key role in developing new leads to enhance the current teaching and research portfolio, assists the School with its internationalisation strategy, and is a core member of the marketing and publicity committee.

Working in collaboration with his colleagues, Ranjit teaches and supervises students at all levels on the Master of Public Health (MPH) award, BSc (Hons) Health Studies and BSc (Hons) Public Health. He also has a good understanding of the requirements of Complementary Therapies education and played an active role in the development of the Foundation Degree portfolio. His specialist teaching areas include transcultural and BME health issues, public health, change management, the use of theatre in health education, e-learning and research.

Previous roles include leading the school in the creation of reusable learning objects for the Universities Collaboration into e-learning project (co-ordinated by the University of Cambridge – see www.ucel.ac.uk). He is also an external examiner at the The University of Staffordshire for their MPH (Distance Learning).

Key Achievements:

Academic:

Coordinator of Community Health Research Hub.
Award Leader Master of Public Health (2006 – 2010).
Facilitated the team’s approach to achieve the ‘e-tutor’ of the year award 2005. (University of Wolverhampton).
University of Wolverhampton key link for the UCEL project (University of Cambridge – http://www.ucel.ac.uk/).
Development of health e-learning packages for http://www.be-me.org/.
Successful research grant into the use of e-learning to facilitate communication between students (2002-2003)
Award Leader for Foundation Degree in Community Health and Social Care (2002-2004).
Lead researcher: 'intermediate care for older people in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton' (Heantun Housing 2003 – 2004).

Health:

Co-ordinated the successful application for DoH pathfinder status for Birmingham Specialist Community Health NHS Trust's Patient Advice and Liaison Service (2001).
Assisted in the Local Government Association's national review into local communities (2000).
Facilitated the Healthwatch Project gaining the NHS Equality Award (2000).

Other:

Writer and researcher for a number of health education drama’s (includes TV health drama series 'Kismet Road' funded by DoH - aired 2004; national award received for play performed at The Royal Court Theatre, London).
Reviewer for Journal of Community Health.
Justice of the Peace – Wolverhampton Bench (2004 – present).

Publication & Conference papers:

“Prisoner health: the contributions of applied theatre to public health interventions” Conference paper, RSPH international Conference, September 2011.
"Creative approaches to public health in prisons: the effectiveness of applied theatre.". Conference paper, ‘Health Acts’, Exeter University, April 2011.
“Communication in Health” Book chapter in Interdisciplinary Communication Studies. Ed. Karen Bryant, Routledge. (publish date: Summer 2009).
"Does e-learning prohibit or promote the communication of sensitive subjects" Conference paper, Net2004, University of Durham.
“The contributing Factors which motivate lay health advisors to participate in a community development training and placement programme called Healthwatch.” Partnership for Developing Quality Journal, autumn 2000.
“What motivates Asian people to volunteer in the NHS.” Conference Paper, Scottish Centre for Volunteering, 2001.
"Healthwatch: a community development initiative" Conference presentation, Dept. of Health UK/US Symposium on health, 2000.

Contact: 01902 321145

Email: R.Khutan@wlv.ac.uk