2026 Qualitative Health Research Network Conference

Conference Theme

The UCL Qualitative Health Research Network (QHRN) Conference is an international biennial event that aims to share and celebrate research on health, illness, and care that uses qualitative or mixed methods approaches. It seeks to advance the role and current practice of qualitative health research by providing opportunities for discussion, critical reflection and networking.   

For our 7th conference taking place in 2026, our theme is: ‘The Transformative Power of Qualitative Research: Insights, Impact and Innovation’. Our focus will be on the impact that qualitative research can have and how we translate our knowledge from academia into practice. We are interested in qualitative research which impacts health care delivery, service innovation, policy development and beyond. We welcomed research submissions from a range of topics, particularly related to one of the following themes: 

• Innovations and/or interventions in health care 

• Addressing health inequalities 

• Co-production and Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) in health research (encouraging submissions from PPIE members themselves or co-presentations with PPIE members and researchers) 

• Creative qualitative methodologies and/or evaluations 

• Policy engagement and impact 

This one-day in-person conference will take place in London and bring together researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including academics, practitioners, policy makers and health service users. 

Keynotes

Introducing our three keynote speakers: Professor Katriina Whitaker, Shabira Papain and Dr Gemma Hughes. 

Professor Katriina Whitaker is a Chartered Psychologist whose research focuses on improving cancer diagnosis and reducing health inequalities through qualitative methods such as video observation, case studies, interviews, and focus groups. Her work explores how people engage with healthcare systems to identify opportunities for earlier diagnosis and better patient outcomes. She was made a Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 2017.

Shabira Papain is a social researcher with expertise in inclusive research and codesign with traditionally excluded communities. Shabira has designed and implemented an Inclusive Community Research approach to increase participation of seldom heard communities. Community Researchers run qualitative research in their communities to make exclusion visible and to build trust in research.

Dr Gemma Hughes is Co-Director of the Centre for Healthcare Innovation, Policy and Management at the University of Leicester School of Business. She is a social scientist who uses qualitative methods to research the social and political organisation of health and care. Gemma is Associate Professor of Healthcare Management and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Health Services Research and Policy.

Sponsor

BMJ Open is the sponsor for the 2026 Qualitative Health Research Network Conference. 

During the conference, we will be hosting some of the team from BMJ Open for a workshop titled "How to get Published". A workshop you don’t want to miss. 

Registration

Registration is now open! Early bird rates will be available for 8 weeks, until April 3rd, and then standard rates will apply. We will send reminders about these timelines via our QHRN channels. 

Early-bird rates (once you select your ticket, the discount will be applied automatically at checkout):
Full price: £120
Student: £100
PPIE (for a Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement research team member): £60 

Standard rates:
Full price: £160
Student: £140
PPIE: £90

Please note that for student prices, you may be asked to provide proof of student status and a valid student ID.

A £35 bursary rate is offered for attendees from low-income countries or without access to funding sources. Please email us at qhrn@ucl.ac.uk before registering if you feel you would benefit from attending the conference, but cost presents as a barrier, providing any details that you would like us to consider.

Keep updated

Keep updated via social media (the QHRN BlueSky @ucl-qhrn.bsky.social and LinkedIn). We look forward to welcoming you in 2026!