Our People

Joni Browne, MPH Founder-Researcher

I have 20 years of experience leading research, evaluation and service improvement across sectors, tackling complex social and health problems. My background spans market, social and UX research, and I hold a Master's in Public Health (Distinction). I have experience researching sensitive and under-researched topics and engaging with underserved and seldom-heard groups.

At Opening Up, I lead research focused on preventing sexual abuse in healthcare and improving how organisations identify and respond to harm. I draw on my multi-disciplinary background to tackle the whole problem: all groups affected (patients, staff and the public); all forms of sexual misconduct and abuse; and every opportunity to intervene.

Alongside my professional expertise, I have a personal commitment to this work. I was groomed and sexually abused by a doctor who has since been convicted of offences against multiple patients. I know how difficult it can be to recognise grooming and abuse, navigate the legal system and live with the lasting consequences. I also know that many survivors never see justice, and that systems and organisational responses can compound their harm.

I founded Opening Up to develop practical, evidence-based, trauma-informed solutions that prevent sexual abuse by health professionals and make healthcare safer for patients and staff.

Previous work

Worked with

NHS England • DEFRA • Homes England • DWP • Ipsos MORI • Capita • NCVO and multiple charities • UX agencies

Experience with

Senior leaders • Patients • Clinicians • Seldom-heard groups

“By weaving together her own experience with an explanation of the psychological processes underneath it all, Joni made it easier to understand how grooming can happen in healthcare, how power imbalances play a part, and why the idea that we would somehow be able to spot a perpetrator is so misleading. I was left with the sense that this could easily happen to any of us”

— Kathryn Buchanan, Researcher and Counsellor

  • Designing and testing digital consent forms, this project involved interviews and usability testing with patients and clinicians.

  • End-to-end study of antenatal screening pathways that resulted in evidence-based recommendations to reduce testing errors. This project included a range of methodologies including ethnographic work, lab visits, interviews, workshops, secondary data analysis, literature review.

  • Impact evaluation of youth clubs on young male refugees. Methodology": interviews, surveys and ethnographic research.

  • Data analysis of large regional dataset of childhood weight measurement and demographics.

  • Research with parents and young people on perceptions of the HPV vaccine, included interviews and surveys.

  • Two separate research studies on NHS telephone triage service several years apart. Included interviews, focus groups, surveys, secondary data analysis from call-centres. Participants included patients, parents, clinicians and call-handlers.

  • I have conducted multiple mixed-methods research studies from Discovery to Live phases of digital transformation projects across a number of public sector organisations.

Selected projects

Expertise

1,000+ interviews conducted ●‍ ‍100+ workshops facilitated

Primary research

  • Mixed-methods research, including market, social and UX

  • Ethnography and participatory research

  • Creative research methods

  • Trauma-informed interviewing

  • Research with underserved groups

  • Workshop facilitation and co-design

Secondary research and analysis

  • Desk research, document analysis and literature reviews

  • Analysis of large statistical datasets

  • Collation and analysis of seldom-used secondary data

  • Freedom of Information investigations

Design, evaluation and governance

  • Digital intervention design and user testing

  • Accessibility testing

  • Research design, support and training

  • Research ethics and governance

  • Evaluations, impact and needs assessments

Working with Opening Up

We work with regulators, healthcare organisations, researchers, safeguarding experts, lawyers, charities, policymakers, survivors and patients. Please get in touch if you are interested in collaborating with us.

Join our advisory panel

We are establishing an independent advisory panel to strengthen the impact of our work.

Panel members may contribute by:

  • reviewing research and service design

  • acting as a critical friend by advising on ethics and safeguarding, providing constructive challenge and sharing expertise

  • reviewing and giving feedback on resources and interventions we create.

The commitment is flexible, informal and voluntary and can be shaped by availability of panel members.

We welcome anyone age 18+, including clinicians, regulators, researchers, lawyers, safeguarding specialists, people with lived experience, members of the public.

If you are interested in becoming involved or would like to find out more, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Credits

Thank you to Del Smith for all his support and to everyone who offered advice and reviewed materials along the way.