Rate My Professor Rana Lotfy Ahmed

Rana Lotfy Ahmed is a Research Assistant and Booking Coordinator in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch, where she has worked since 2019. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from an institution in Egypt and is currently completing her Master's degree at the University of Canterbury. Her career history encompasses diverse roles in mental health and child support, including work with autistic children in the United Arab Emirates, adult mental health services in Egypt, and as a relief teacher with children in Christchurch. As a Child and Family trainer, she supports research projects through data collection, coordination, and interpretation services.

Rana Lotfy Ahmed has contributed significantly to community-focused research initiatives. She served as a research assistant, booking coordinator, and Arabic interpreter for the March 15 Project related to the Christchurch terror attacks. She is listed as a study lead for the Youth March 15 Project: Weaving our own path, collaborating with Kat Donovan, Dr Shaystah Dean, and Dr Bilal Nasier. Her involvement extends to the "Which hijab am I wearing today?" project exploring cultural and psychological aspects. In addition, she conducted interviews for data collection in studies examining qualitative methods. Key publications co-authored by Rana Lotfy Ahmed include "Navigating dual roles: qualitative exploration of the psychological impacts on Muslim professionals supporting their community after a terror attack," published in BJPsych Open (2025), and "Exploring the Use of AI in Qualitative Data Analysis: Comparing Manual Processing with Avidnote for Theme Generation," published in the International Journal of Qualitative Methods (2025). These works have garnered citations and reads, reflecting contributions to understanding psychological resilience in affected communities and advancing AI applications in research methodologies. She has also been acknowledged as a research assistant in protocols for a randomised controlled trial of ketamine versus electroconvulsive therapy for treatment-resistant depression (BMJ Open, 2024) and the UNITE Project investigating neurocognitive impairment after COVID-19 (2023).