Dr. James Ackers-Johnson

Current positions

Research Project Manager

Biography 

James joined the University of Salford in 2014 as a Research Project Manager within the Centre for Social and Health Research (previously the Centre for Applied Research in Health, Welfare and Policy (CARe)). James completed a Bachelors degree in Business Economics, followed by a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and more recently a PhD by Published Works titled "The Impact of Multidisciplinary Mobilities on the Effectiveness of Global Health and International Development Projects". James' PhD was based on a series of high impact global health research and international development projects, focusing primarily on the impacts of professional volunteers and healthcare students on international development initiatives and potential roles they can play in strengthening health systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. More generally, the research examined the ethics and efficacy of international aid and ways of maximising and sustaining positive outcomes. Projects included within the research included: the Tropical Health Education Trust funded "Sustainable Volunteering Project", "Strengthening the Ugandan Blood Transfusion Service" project, "Hand Hygiene Project" and "Biomedical Engineering Project"; the Health Education England funded "Measuring the Outcomes of Volunteering on Education (MOVE)" project and the "Ethical Elective Placement Project"; and the Commonwealth Pharmacy Association funded "Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Project". Separately, James also managed the Baby Skin Integrity Comparison Survey (BaSICS) Project which was a large commercially funded research project comparing the effects of different brands of baby wipes on babies' skin across the Greater Manchester area.

Externally, in partnership with the charity 'Knowledge for Change', James manages an international elective placement programme for Salford University and other HEI students undertaking placements in Uganda and India. He has also been a core member of the Global Health Exchange’s “NHS Undergraduate Placement Steering Group” since 2016. This group was founded by Professor Ged Byrne of Health Education England and involves HEI placement stakeholders from across the North West of the UK. Its purpose is to promote and facilitate ethical and high quality international undergraduate placements for Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional students.