Call for Expressions of Interest: Advisory Panel (Experts by Experience) for Research Project on Cancer Literacy Among Marginalised Women

TASC are seeking women from marginalised and disadvantaged backgrounds to join an Advisory Panel for a research project on Cancer Literacy among Marginalised Women.

About TASC

TASC (Think-tank for Action on Social Change) is an independent think-tank whose mission is to address inequality and sustain democracy by translating analysis into action. TASC engages in research and public outreach concerning inequality, democracy, climate justice, social justice, and health inequalities. TASC’s publications can be found on its website, with further information about the health research workstream available here.

Overview of the Research Project

As part of the health inequalities workstream, TASC is conducting a research project on cancer literacy among marginalised and disadvantaged women in Ireland.

The World Health Organisation defines health literacy as “being able to access, understand, appraise and use information and services in ways that promote and maintain good health and well-being”. Cancer literacy is a specific dimension of health literacy, involving awareness of and ability to understand information and advice concerning cancer. Cancer literacy is crucial to cancer prevention, early identification, and successful treatment.

Existing research shows that some populations have particularly low levels of cancer literacy, including immigrants, ethnic minorities, women with intellectual disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, and women on lower incomes.

The purpose of this research project is to explore cancer literacy among marginalised and disadvantaged women in Ireland. The findings of the research will inform a policy statement consisting of recommendations for improving cancer literacy among this population.

Advisory Panel

An Advisory Panel of eight experts will support the research project. This panel will consist of both professionals working in the field and people with lived experience.

At present, we are recruiting 2-3 members with lived experience: women from marginalised and disadvantaged communities.

The role will involve attending 4-6 online or hybrid two-hour meetings over the course of the project and providing feedback over email between meetings.

At the end of the project, lived experience experts will be compensated financially for their time and work, at a rate of €200. This corresponds to 12 hours of meetings at the living wage of €14.75/hour, adding to €177, with the remainder of the sum covering the time required for email communication, reviewing materials, and preparing for meetings.

Panel members will also be expected to support the recruitment of participants for the project. Members with lived experience will work alongside members with a professional background in cancer literacy (e.g. HSE staff, staff working in relevant community organisations) to support the project. If needed, TASC will seek to make any reasonable accommodations necessary to enable members’ participation on the panel.

The Advisory Panel will be in place for the duration of the research project, from April 2025 until April 2026.

Successful candidates will:

• Be members of a marginalised and/or disadvantaged community, including but not limited to: women from ethnic minority backgrounds, immigrant women, disabled women/women with disabilities (e.g. intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, neurodivergence, mental health conditions), women with chronic illness, LGBTI+ women, women with experience of homelessness, women experiencing addiction, women from lower income backgrounds
• Have an interest in supporting research
• Have access to the internet, for the purpose of attending meetings and email communication

No background or experience in research is necessary. Applicants are not expected to have relevant work experience or educational qualifications. Panel members with lived experience are considered “Experts by Experience”, whose expertise and knowledge comes from their life experiences, rather than professional or educational backgrounds.

How to Apply

Candidates are asked to apply for the Advisory Panel by emailing their CV and cover letter to research@tasc.ie. The cover letter should outline the applicant’s interest in the position and motivation for applying.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on 14th February 2025.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview. It is expected that these will be held around the 25th-26th of February.

Further information can be obtained from the research team: Dr. Adeelia Goffe at agoffe@tasc.ie and Maria Pachowicz at mpachowicz@tasc.ie.