Professor Julie Fish

Professor Julie Fish, Chair in Social Work and Health Inequalities

Director of the Centre for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Trans and Queer Research at De Montfort University, Leicester, UK .

Deputy Director, Institute of Health, Health Policy & Social Care

Julie Fish was written widely on LGBT health and health inequalities. Her edited collection is published by the Policy Press, Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans health inequalities: International perspectives in Social Work. She has conducted several projects in LGB people with cancer funded by the Department of Health, the ESRC and Macmillan Cancer Support. She has been a member of a number of government advisory groups. She is currently developing a project Using innovative co-production approaches to address loneliness and social support for older women from marginalised communities (African-Caribbean, South Asian, white working class and LBQ women).

• LGBT health inequalities
• Service user involvement/ co-production approaches
• Loneliness and social support
• Critical/qualitative health research
• Health and wellbeing among BAME people from LGB communities
• Identities and intersectionality

• Director, Centre for LGBTQ Research
• Deputy Director, Institute of Health, Health Policy & Social Care

Click here for a full listing of Julie Fish's publications and outputs.

Books

Fish, J. and Karban, K. (eds) (2015) Social work and lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans health inequalities: International perspectives. Bristol: The Policy Press.

Fish, J. (2012) Social work and lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people: Making a difference. Bristol: The Policy Press.

Fish, J. (2006) Heterosexism in Health & Social Care. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

• Loneliness and social support among older LGBTQ people
• Older Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans health and social care. 
• Social work and Health Inequalities
• Public and Patient Involvement.

• Module leader Research dissertations
• Personal tutor for academic and professional practice
• Supervision of undergraduate and MA research dissertations
• MA tutor
• Doctoral Training Programme
• Supervision of PhD students

BA (Hons) English, University of York

PGCE English and Drama, Bretton Hall, University of Leeds

MA Women's Studies, Wolverhampton University

PhD Lesbians' experiences of breast and cervical screening, Loughborough University

[ASCS3120 Research Project] 

Fish, J (2013) Health research with LGBT people.  Invited plenary presentation on LGBT health and health inequalities for University Hospitals Leicester staff.  3 July 2013

Fish, J (2013) International social work's role in tackling health inequalities: A new agenda for SWE?  Presentation to the 7th International conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health.  University of Southern California, Los Angeles.  23-28 June 2013

Fish, J (2013) Developing cultural competence for LGBT people with cancer.  Presentation to the 7th International conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health.  University of Southern California, Los Angeles.  23-28 June 2013.

On behalf of the Social Work and Health Inequalities Network, I joint convened two symposia at the Social Work in Health and Mental Health conference in Los Angeles in 'LGBT health inequalities' and 'SWHI in social work education'.

Fish, J (2013) LGBT Carers: Exploring Queer care.  Presentation to ESRC Carers' seminar: Individual carers: personalized needs.  De Montfort University.  4 June 2013

Fish, J and Lilley, G (2013) Older LGBT people: participation and inclusion in public services.  Invited plenary presentation to Family Outing, the Leicestershire County Council, County Hall, Glenfield, annual LGBT workers' conference.  17 May 2013 (led two workshops) 

Fish, J (2012) Making a difference in the lives of LGBT children and young people.  NSPCC Conference, NSPCC HQ Beaumont Leys, Leicester.  28 November 2012

Fish, J (2012) Taking action on LGBT health and social care inequalities.  Presentation to Social work and Social Development.  Stockholm, Sweden.  Joint World Social work conference.  8-12 July 2012

Fish, J and Karban, K (2012) Health inequalities at the heart of the social work curriculum.  Presentation to Social work and Social Development.  Stockholm, Sweden.  Joint World Social work conference.  8-12 July 2012

Fish, J (2011) Inter-professional working to reduce cancer inequalities in lesbian and bisexual women with breast cancer.  Presentation to 1st European Social Work Research Conference.  Oxford University, UK. March 23-25

Fish, J (2011) Coming out about breast cancer: Involving users and stakeholders. Public and Patient Involvement seminar. Leicester University. 24 May.

Fish, J (2011) Coming out about breast cancer: Involving users and stakeholders. Public and Patient Involvement seminar. University of Northampton 1 June.

Fish, J (2011) Writing for Publication. Presentation to the Researcher Development Initiative in Social Work. University of Bedford. 7 June.

Fish, J (2011) Health and social care inequalities. Presentation to the HLS Health and Wellbeing showcase. 22 June.

Fish, J (2011) Making It Happen: Achieving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Equality in the NHS South West. Somerset County Cricket Club, Taunton. 28 June.

Willis, P, Fish, J, Pugh, S, Bailey, L, Ward, N (2011) Exploring Queer Care in Social Work: Meeting the needs and interests of LGBT carers. Presentation to the 2011 JSWEC conference. University of Manchester, 14 July.

Karban, K and Fish, J (2011) Health inequalities – at the heart of the social work curriculum. Presentation to the 2011 JSWEC conference. University of Manchester, 14 July.

Fish, J, and Dhami, K (2011) Developing cultural competence in breast cancer services with LB women. Presentation to the 6th LGBT health summit, Cardiff City Hall. 1 September.

Fish, J (2011) Addressing LGBT health inequalities. Presentation to research seminar. University of Bradford. 10 November.

Panel member, National Cancer Equalities Initiative Conference, Hilton London Metropole. 22 March 2010

Fish, J Coming out about breast cancer: shaping the future through research. Joint Social Work Education and Research conference, University of Hertfordshire, 1-2 July.

Fish, J Coming out about breast cancer in lesbians and bisexual women. Paper presented to 4th LGBT health summit. Newcastle. Conference workshop supported by the RCN.

Fish, J Cancer inequality: What have sexual minority women’s experiences of breast cancer to do with it? BSA MedSoc conference Manchester. September 2009.

Beyond a single identity. Leicester University, June 2009. Member of conference organising steering group.

Developing work in social work and health inequalities
Online symposium, Health inequalities and the social work curriculum: Pacific Rim Perspectives. 9 November 2011.

Bywaters, P, Fish, J, Jones, D and Truell, R. Meeting with Professor Michael Marmot: Social work’s contribution to tackling health inequalities. 26 October.

Bywaters, P and Fish, J Meeting with Health Equity Team at UCL in relation to social work and health inequalities. 11 January.

• Carlton Howson (1st supervisor) Telling it like it is: Black and ethnically minoritised students' experiences of HE
• Claire Gregory (1st supervisor) BME carers' experiences of providing information care
• Hannah Begum (2nd supervisor) A study of South Asian male survivors of childhood sexual abuse (and engagement with support services)
• Mandy Gamble (2nd supervisor) The Experience of Nurse Led Case Management in long term conditions
• Wendy Norton (2nd supervisor) Gay men, fatherhood and surrogacy
• Rose Parks (2nd supervisor) Yoga in prisons
• PhD (fees only) scholarship in health and social care (TBC)

• Fish, J. Williamson, I, Brown, J. Padley, W, Bell, K. (2018) More than a Diagnosis: Promoting good outcomes in Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual cancer care: A qualitative study of patients’ experiences in clinical oncology. Funded by Macmillan Cancer Support. ISBN: 9781857214383 http://hdl.handle.net/2086/16125
• 2014 Improving the cancer journey for LGBT people, Hope Against Cancer
• 2013 ESRC Knowledge exchange programme.  Impact report.  8 May 2013.  RES-192-22-0111
• 2012 The College of Social Work: led writing of curriculum guide for Physical Health, Dementia and End of Life Care..
• 2011 ESRC Knowledge exchange programme: Developing professional knowledge about breast cancer in lesbian and bisexual women.

• Reference: RES-192-22-0111
• 2010 LGBT Carers seed corn funding from Birmingham university, collaboration with Birmingham and the University of Swansea
• 2009 National Cancer Action Team: Coming out about breast cancer.
• 2008 NHS Cervical Screening Programme: Cervical screening in lesbian and bisexual women: A review of the worldwide literature.
• 2007 Prescription for Change: Lesbian and bisexual women’s health. In collaboration with Stonewall. Funded by Lloyds/TSB Foundation.

• Joint convenorship of Social Work and Health Inequalities Network (with Kate Karban) June 2010
• JUC SWEC research committee member
• Develop Social Work and Health Inequalities webpages for SCIE website
• Contributing author to the Department of Health, Public Health Outcomes Framework LGBT companion document
• Membership of ESRC peer review college
• Contribution to the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Suicide prevention strategy for LGBT people
• Member of the Leicestershire Partnership Trust steering group for the introduction of a  LGBT IAPT service in Leicester
• End of life care: the experiences and needs of LGB elders.  Led by Kathryn Almack, Nottingham University funded by Marie Curie Cancer Care
• Podcast on social work and health inequalities.  Interview by Patricia Fronek, Griffith University, Australia
• World Social Work Day at Westminster 19 March 2013
• Development of international teaching resources for World Social Work Day

Supporting LGBT People with Cancer: Practice guidance. 

Lesbian and bisexual women and breast cancer: policy briefing. London: Breast Cancer Care.

Commissioned by the NHS Screening programme to undertake a systematic review which led to a change in the screening guidelines for lesbian and bisexual women

Policy applications of my research

2013 Contributing author to the Department of Health, Public Health Outcomes Framework LGBT companion document

2012 Leicester City Council, Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. March 2012

2011 Her Majesty's Government, Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality: Moving Forward. London: HMG

2010 Department of Health, Equality and Excellence: Liberating the NHS. Equality Impact Assessment. London: DH

2010 Memorandum submitted by Stonewall to UK Parliament

Media coverage

Moszynski, P (2010) Lesbians and bisexual women urged to take up cervical cancer screening, British Medical Journal, 2009; 340:b5667

Reviews of Social work and LGBT people Bristol: The Policy Press

"The book ... provide(s) a framework, which underpins the knowledge, skills and values, from which to develop best practice to work with LGBT people ... is (a) high ambition.  That all of these aims are achieved is due, in no small measure, to the systematic and skilful crafting of the content of this work.  The text has a pattern without ever being formulaic."  John Hancox, New Zealand, Journal of Social Work, 2013 vol 13, no 6, 653-655

Julie Fish ... "provides detailed discussions of complex areas of social work practice and integrates a very extensive discussion of relevant research in each chapter.  The arguments about the need for a specific focus on substance misuse, for example, are compelling and avoid a reductive approach to the complex evidence from research."  Dharman Jeyasingham, UK, British Journal of Social Work, vol 42, issue 6, 1217-1219

"Julie Fish provides an accessible and appealing work to practitioners and students who want to deal with lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) service users in an appropriate way.  If anyone, (still) hesitates to see the importance of the LGBT issue in social work, Fish's chain of reasoning is convincing, pragmatic and straightforward."  Andrea Nagy, University of Innsbruck, Austria, International Social Work, 2013, 56:105.

Fish, J. (2013). The social work dissertation. Carey, M Book review, British Journal of Social Work 43 (8): 1667-1668

2019 The inaugural INQYR international symposium on LGBTQ youth research, 31 October, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City (National Autonomous University of Mexico)

2018 ‘Queerying activism through the lens of the sociology of everyday life’, Sexualities and Social Work Conference, University of Montreal, 10^th August.

2017, 12-16 Oct Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Partnership Grant: ‘Queery’ing resilience: Leveraging information & communication technologies to negotiate gender and sexual minority youth identity and wellbeing within diverse global contexts, PI Dr Shelley Craig, Factor-Inwentash, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. Grant writing workshop. $2 million CAN. Awarded.

2016 Lesbian, Bisexual & Queer women’s health conference; connections- creativity-care. Invited keynote. The Jaspar Hotel, Melbourne, Australia. Victorian Aids Council & ACON Health Sydney. 27^th May.

Keynotes and conferences

Fish, J. (2019) (keynote) Social work and LGBT health inequalities, Social work in health and mental health international Conference, July 25 2019.

Fish, J. (2019) (keynote) Older LGBT+ health and healthcare inequalities, University of York, Research Collaborative event for Wellcome Foundation, 8 May 2019.

Fish, J. (2018) (keynote) Tackling older LGBT health and social care inequalities, Taking Pride in Ageing: Improving services for older LGBT people Conference. Chester Town Hall, Body Positive. 12 July 2018

Fish, J. Improving Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual patient experiences, Health Education England, Inclusive leadership conference, Leeds. 23 March 2017.

Fish, J. & Draper, D. Lesbian health inequalities, Public Health England Conference, Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGB&T) people and communities 2^nd National Conference – 14 January 2016, The Millennium Gloucester Hotel & Conference Centre, London.

Fish, J. Time is on the side of the outcast: Twenty years of LGBT research at DMU

Inaugural Lecture at De Montfort University, 11^th November 2015.

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