Emmanuel Nwofe

Emmanuel S Nwofe joined the Centre for Applied Dementia Studies at the University of Bradford in June 2023 as an ARC Research Associate. He is interested in dementia prevention within minority ethnic populations, with a focus on modifiable risk factors, promoting brain health, and addressing the dementia knowledge gap within the British Black African/ Black Caribbean community and wider Yorkshire and the Humber communities.
Emmanuel has a background in teaching Mass Communication and journalism studies, with experience in applying semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and appreciative inquiry approaches in research. His doctoral research focused on the impact of new media on social movements, focusing on the radical and agnostic public sphere, alternative communication, ethnic nationalism and marginalised voices. Later, Emmanuel switched careers to health promotion research and was appointed a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the Research and Development Unit of Southwest Yorkshire Partnership, NHS Foundation Trust in 2021. In this role, he managed a research project on implementing GPS trackers for individuals with dementia at risk of wandering. The project aimed to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and acceptance of GPS technology in promoting independence for individuals with dementia while reducing the burden on caregivers. Emmanuel also supported research on Personality Disorders, trauma, and mental health, which involved collecting qualitative data through interviews and focus group discussions with service users.
Emmanuel has five years of experience working as a Healthcare Assistant in mental health hospitals across Bradford and Southwest Yorkshire Trusts. In 2022, he worked as a Research Fellow (part-time) at Leeds Beckett University, embedded with Wakefield Metropolitan District Council’s public health department on the Big Conversation project. This project focused on appreciative inquiries, identifying strengths rather than weaknesses in the Wakefield district. Later, Emmanuel helped design a new project that evaluates Adolescent Vaping in the Wakefield District. Before his role at the Southwest Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust, Emmanuel volunteered for Bradford District Care Trust on the BASIL study – an intervention study aimed at mitigating depression and loneliness in older adults (65+ years) who had multiple long-term health conditions or symptoms of low mood/depression and had to self-isolate because of Covid 19. Emmanuel arranged intervention sessions, promoted collaborative problem-solving, evaluated treatment rationale, and promoted self-help skills, focusing on functional equivalence and behavioural activation.