Louca-Mai Brady is a Reader in Youth Involvement and Health at the Centre for Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC), where she leads a programme of research focused on children and young people's participation in health and social care research and services. 

Louca-Mai has a background in applied social research in academia and the voluntary and public sectors, and as a independent research consultant. In addition to peer-reviewed journal articles, her publications include an edited book on young people’s participation in healthcare (Brady, 2020) and guidance and a toolkit to support young people-led research (Brady and Graham, 2021). 

NIHR Academy member: Development and Skills Enhancement Award and Future-Focused Leadership programme – Emerging Research Leader (2024-25)

Advance HE Aurora women’s leadership development (2024 cohort)

Prizes

Patient Experience Network national awards 2018: Transformer of Tomorrow

• Research with children and young people
• Public involvement and co-production
• Children and young people's participation in the design, delivery and evaluation of health and care services
• Qualitative, participative and creative research methods
• Inclusive research with people who are marginalised and under-served
• PhD supervision

• Children's rights in healthcare and research
• Research with children and young people: qualitative methods and ethics
• Participative research approaches
• Involving children and young people in research

Louca-Mai has nationally and internationally recognised expertise in the involvement of children and young people in health, public health and social care research, including:

• Managing the Herfordshire young people's research advisory group, including a co-produced podcast on children and young people's involvement in research. 
• Supporting the involvement of diverse young co-applicants in research funding applications, and their involvement in subsequent projects. 
• Development of guidelines and a toolkit for training and supporting young researchers for Barnardo’s (2021).
• Delivering training on children and young people's involvement, including leading workshops for the PPI Ignite network (2022), and a workshop on young disabled people’s voices in healthcare (Council for Disabled Children, 2021). 
• Strategic lead and facilitator of young people’s advisory group for the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre (eyeYPAG). Co-produced an evaluation of the YPAG with young group members and an associated peer-reviewed journal article.
• Associate for the UCL Co-production Collective on a Kings Health Partners project on the role of personalised care in addressing health inequalities for people affected by COVID-19, including developing and running a participative analysis workshop (2021).
• Public involvement advisor on UCL Institute of Education systematic reviews on the effectiveness of interventions for children and young people who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs, 2018) and and online content on eating disorders (2021). Included planning and co-facilitating workshops with young people with lived experience.
• Developed and piloted a school-based young people's advisory group as a model for more inclusive and diverse involvement in research at Kingston and St George’ s University Centre for Public Engagement  (2018-19).
• Led James Lind Initiative project on evaluating the extent and impact of young people’s involvement in NIHR studies (2016-17). See Brady and Preston (2020). 
• Public involvement lead in NIHR-funded adaptation and feasibility study of a family and social network intervention for young people who misuse alcohol and drugs. This included recruiting and supporting a group of young advisors (2013-16). See Brady et al. (2018)
• NIHR INVOLVE advisory group member (2007-2016). Associate member (2016-2019). Member of working group on children and young people (2018-2019).
• Lead for young people’s involvement in research at the National Children’s Bureau (2007-2011) including a Wellcome Trust-funded young people’s advisory group linked to the Public Health Research Consortium.