Hello, I’m DR Olumide Adisa A.k.A as 'Dr Adisa' in professional circles. Welcome to my personal website

I am a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Suffolk; and Complex Systems Theory Lead, VISION Consortium, and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Violence and Society Centre, City University of London.

I am passionate about inclusive knowledge production and exchange vis-à-vis research, theory, evaluation, and policy approaches that leads to systemic change at scale.

I am a leading expert on theorising and applying a systemic focus to responding to domestic abuse and related health inequalities, helping individuals and organisations achieve and better grasp systemic understandings and the change effect they want to make happen. I offer unique critical (re)thinking, practical insights and solutions to ‘messy’ problem spaces. 

As an engaged academic, I am interested in incorporating useful complex systems change principles into the violence/abuse sphere in accessible ways and through inclusive communities of practice.

What people are saying:

‘One of the many things I value about Olumide is her ability to bring critical challenge and a call for change while still operating from a position of warmth, generosity, and 'calling in'. She never shies away from pointing out inconsistencies, gaps and drawbacks, but she has the skill to do this in a way that brings people forward, enthusiastic to join her in making change.’ - Suzanne Jacob, former CEO Safelives

My Approach

Over the past ten years, I have worked with various organisations to transform services and commissioning to support victims/survivors of violence and abuse through a local and national systems change lens. I truly believe that a siloed and episodic approach is not working, and we need to take a systems focus to achieve sustained change. I am interested in surfacing and discovering innovative and collaborative ways to rethink how we approach the problem of domestic abuse. We need to create a systemic shift to working with those who use harmful behaviours, alongside considering the role of complexity and intersectionality. We must tackle the root cause of violence and abuse, not just at the individual level, but at a systemic level.

academic writings

My academic writing engages with different related topics and interests across systems (domestic abuse, child sexual abuse, justice, health, climate change and development, and so on) aimed at policy and practice audiences.

Recent papers in peer-reviewed journals:

Bellis, M. A., McManus, S., Hughes, K., Adisa, O., & Ford, K. (2024). The Commercial Determinants of Violence: Identifying Opportunities for Violence Prevention through a Public Health-Based Framework Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(3), 352.

Adisa, O., & McManus, S. (2023). Community mental health through a complex systems lens. The Lancet Public Health.

Allen, K., Adisa, O., & Hermolle, M. (2023). Redefining safety: a narrative review of literature on the underground and open or ‘Dutch’ models of refuge. Journal of Gender-Based Violence, 1-16.

Bland, M., Weir, R., Adisa, O., Allen, K., Ferreira, J., & Maitra, D. R. (2022). Describing patterns of known domestic abuse among different ethnic groups. Frontiers in psychology, 13.

I have authored over 30 research evaluation reports and policy briefings as a primary author. A fuller portfolio can be found via: Reports and recent grants.

co-DESIGNed Community building & Advocacy

In the words of Audre Lorde, “Without community, there is no liberation...but community must not mean a shedding of our differences, nor the pathetic pretense that these differences do not exist.”

I am committed to intersectional race equity, and I support initiatives that have this purpose at their core. Over the last four years, I have worked with H.O.P. E Training and Consultancy , DRIVE Partnership, onEvidence, and other organisations on various systems change projects co-creating with racialised communities.

I launched and founded the successful Domestic Abuse Research Network (DARNet) in June 2019. Based at the University of Suffolk, it is a vibrant network of practitioners, service commissioners, policy makers, academics, and students; and undertaken public engagement activities, in the East of England region and beyond on violence and abuse research. The network now has a membership of 300 people and is represented by 20 Universities.