People

Centre Administration

I am involved in all aspects of the day to day running of the Centre; working with the finance team to ensure invoices are paid on time and the budget is on track, co-ordinating personnel matters with the HR team, and ensuring our research outputs are recorded.  

Associate Director of CBSS Co-lead of Beyond Bodies, Beyond Engagement, and Beyond Legal research themes

I have a wide interest in the ethics of new and emerging biotechnologies including stem cells, embryo research and reproductive medicine. Human enhancement, gene therapy and genetic modification, along with animal ethics and research ethics, are also areas of study.

Professor of Medical and Family Sociology Co-Director, Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society Dean, Molecular, Genetic and Population Health Sciences 

University Lead, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Co-lead of Beyond Engagement research theme

I am currently completing a programme of research, funded by a Wellcome Senior Investigator – ‘Transformations and Translations in Patienthood: cancer in the postgenomic era’.

I am interested in the many ways in which developments in medicine, public health and health care are crafted and experienced by the range of people involved, from patients, publics to scientists and clinicians. Most recently this has involved a focus on Artificial Intelligence and Health. And I am involved in the new UK Pandemic Ethics Accelerator focussing particularly on public engagement.

Chancellor's Fellow

Senior Lecturer in History and Sociology of Biomedicine

Co-lead of Beyond Data research theme

I am a historian of medicine and epidemiology. My research covers histories of epidemics, the history of epidemiological reasoning as well as the digital transformation of public health in the present.

I am currently working on: ‘The Epidemiological Revolution. A History of Epidemiological Reasoning in the Twentieth Century’ and with my Chancellor's Fellowship, I work on ‘The Long History of Digital Epidemiology’.

Associate Director   Co-lead of Beyond Disease and Beyond Bodies research themes

My research, teaching, and engagement relate to biomedicine and society. Through grants and fellowships, I’ve focused in particular on the social dimensions of epigenetics, neuroscience, and psychiatry. I hold a Personal Chair in the Sociology of Science and Medicine. 

I am Co-Director of Research in the Usher Institute, and Co-Director of the £5.3m Wellcome Trust PhD Programme in 'One Health Animal Models of Disease: Science, Ethics and Society'. I have various roles outside of Edinburgh, including serving as a member of the ESRC Strategic Advisory Network.

Professor of the Sociology of Medical KnowledgeCo-director of CBSS

Co-lead of Beyond Disease, Beyond Data and Beyond Global research themes

I am an interdisciplinary scholar working at the intersection of the history and sociology of science and medicine. My current research, ‘Making Genomic Medicine’, aims to disentangle the scientific, technological, social and political processes that have led, over the past forty years or so, to the current ferment of activity around medical genomics and genomic medicine. 

You can see my full profile here.

Chancellor’s FellowCo-lead of Beyond Bodies and Beyond Sex research theme

I am a Chancellor’s Fellow in Social Science of Health & Medicine, with training in Sociology and History.

My research examines the interface between biomedicine and public health, with particular consideration of gender, sexualities and wider inequalities in relation to emerging biotechnologies in HIV and sexual health.  

Lecturer and Chancellor's Fellow in Bioethics and Global Health Ethics

Deputy Director of Mason Institute for Medicine, Life Science and the Law

Co-lead of Beyond Global and Beyond Sex research theme

My background is in bioethics, with a special interest in global bioethics, structural and gender justice. I have written on ethical issues related to global health emergencies, public health ethics, global surrogacy, sex-selection, biomedical research in low-income countries, social value in research governance and the concepts of exploitation and vulnerability in bioethics.

I am currently the primary investigator a Wellcome Trust funded project entitled, Vulnerability and Justice in Global Health Emergency Regulation: Developing Future Ethical Models.

My current research intrests include:

• Global bioethics and justice in global health
• The ethics of global health emergencies (pandemics, public health emergencies, humanitarian crises)
• Structural injustice, epistemic injustice, exploitation and vulnerability in bioethics
• Feminist approaches in bioethics
• Sex-selection and gender justice
• Surrogacy
• Social norms and bioethics
• Conscientious objection in healthcare
• Ethics and governance of biomedical research
• Public health ethics
• Bioethics and Law

External positions

Member of the Board, Shakti Women's Aid

Nov 2016 → …

Chancellor's Fellow

Chancellor’s Fellow in the Sociology of Biomedicine (Science, Technology & Innovation Studies)

My research looks at the social transformations brought on by the digital data revolution in health. I am currently conducting comparative sociological research into the intersections of clinical care, research and informatics in different areas of medicine. 

I co-convene the core Honours course ‘Understanding Medicine’ on the BMedSci Anthropology & Sociology of Medicine.

In terms of public engagement, I am currently developing projects using methods from human-centred design, such as cultural probes, to stimulate dialogue around the use of data in healthcare and medical research.

Chancellor’s Fellow, Data Driven Innovation

Co-lead of Beyond Legal and Beyond Data research theme

My research focusses on the regulatory (legal, ethical and social) dimensions of health research and care. I am particularly interested in regulatory uncertainties raised by biomedical innovation, emerging technologies, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and global health. I have experience of engaging with policy makers, regulators, publics and other key stakeholders, and often employ interdisciplinary approaches towards my scholarship.

Chancellor's FellowCo-lead of Beyond Engagement research theme

I am a Chancellor’s Fellow in Social Studies of Health & Medicine, working at the intersection of medical sociology, social policy and public administration.

I am Associate Lead for the workstrand Beyond Engagement in the Centre for Biomedicine, Self & Society, and an elected member of the Social Policy Association's Executive Committee.

THIS Institute Postdoctoral Research Fellow

I am a THIS Institute Postdoctoral Research Fellow within CBSS working across the Beyond Engagement and Beyond Sex themes. My work sits at the intersection of medical sociology, critical public health and healthcare improvement studies, and my current project is exploring how participatory approaches are used, and can be extended, within sexual and reproductive health care, with a particular focus on abortion care.

To date my research has focused on exploring social and cultural dimensions of sexual and reproductive health and care. I am passionate about interdisciplinary health research that works collaboratively with third sector, clinical and health policy partners.

I currently tutor on Foundation of Knowledge, a core course on the intercalated Honours programme Bioethics, Law & Society, as well as Understanding Experiences of Illness and Health in Communities within the Social and Ethical Aspects of Medicine course within the MBChB undergraduate medical programme, University of Edinburgh Medical School. I supervise Masters' level students on the Master of Public Health Programme.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow 

I am a social/legal anthropologist specialised in Japanese Studies, a researcher in Science and Technology Studies (STS), and postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society (CBSS). At CBSS, I have supported work on the Wellcome Trust Seed Award ‘AI and Health’ since May 2019.

My research focuses on risk, technology, health, and human rights. Drawing on my doctoral research, I wrote a book titled 'Fall-out from Fukushima: Nuclear Evacuees Seeking Compensation and Legal Protection After the Triple Meltdown' which will be published by the end of 2021.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

I am an interdisciplinary scholar working within and across medical sociology, medical humanities, science and technology studies, and gender studies to explore social, ethical and historical issues at the nexus between health, wellbeing, and gender.

My current research on the Beyond Engagement stream of the Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society explores new and emerging models and practices of citizen and community led health research and healthcare, and I concurrently collaborate on other projects especially around gender and sex difference and new and emerging technologies in health, biomedicine, and sports.

I also co-organise the Foundations of Knowledge course for the Intercalated Honours Programme in Bioethics, Law and Society.           

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Beyond Disease

I am a medical and cultural anthropologist and my work lies at the intersection of reproductive and environmental justice.

Currently, I am researching endometriosis, hormones, and endocrine disruption. Past research projects have investigated childbearing, abortion, and period tracking apps.

More generally, I am interested in epistemology, the body, gender, political economy, and social justice.

SHI Foundation Mildred Blaxter Fellow

I am working on exploring how sexual fantasies and desires can be harnessed for HIV prevention by engaging with a range of stakeholders.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Global Health Governance

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Beyond Bodies

I am working on developing research projects around moral status and the future of the human body, human enhancement, implantable devices, and neurotechnologies. 

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

I am working on “Border crossings: charity and voluntarism in Britain's mixed economy of health care since 1948”, a Wellcome Trust funded project which explores the development and contemporary work of NHS charities.

Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in Humanities and Social Sciences

I work at the intersections of medical sociology and Science and Technology Studies. My current research project is investigating immunotherapy cancer treatments in cancer, and I am interested in how these novel therapies are shifting the way cancer is approached, managed and experienced. Using ethnographic methods, I will consider the way in which these therapies affect how cancer is managed in clinical practice as part of patient care as well as explore what these developments mean for patients who are living with cancer.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

I am a medical anthropologist whose research investigates the politics of evidence and data in health policy and intervention and the logics of global health governance.

My current research, as a part of the METRO project in Social Policy, interrogates the way statistical capacity development became its own goal in the global push for the Sustainable Development Goals, and how official statistics have been situated, and have become, a new contentious terrain for a growing community of international organisations to stake claims over sustainable futures. 

PhD Candidate

My research focuses on an interdisciplinary study of addiction: the different philosophical conceptions of addictive action as compulsive, its dialogue with a neurobiological understanding of addiction as a "brain disease", and the effect that such understandings ought to have on harm reduction strategies in UK drug policy.

PhD Candidate in Population Health Sciences

The title of my PhD thesis is: ‘Patient groups and health technology assessment in Scotland: Roles, interests and engagement’ 

Patient groups (also known as patient organisations or charities) can communicate the patient voice to the public and to those in power. In Scotland, one example is the inclusion of patient groups in health technology assessment (HTA). HTA involves appraising the scientific, social, economic, legal and ethical implications of medical technologies such as drugs, tests or devices. There are two HTA bodies in Scotland, the Scottish Medicines Consortium, which covers medication, and the Scottish Health Technologies Group, which covers all other health technologies such as devices. Both seek input from patient groups when deciding whether to recommend a medical technology be available on the NHS in Scotland. 

My PhD aims to explore this involvement process, primarily from the perspective of patient groups. This includes how they understand and experience their role in HTA – from how they give voice to their patient base to whether they feel their contribution is valued. It also involves gaining insight into the interests of patient groups – why do they participate (or not) in HTA? How do they view their relationship with industry? 

I have also tutored on Year 1 MBChB Research and Evidence Based Medicine (2021) and Year 1 MBChB Health Promotion (2020). 

Part Time PhD Candidate

I am a part-time PhD student at the department of Science, Technology and Innovation Studies and the Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society at the University of Edinburgh.

The title of my PhD is: 'Implementing genomic medicine: Studying the creation of NHS England’s Genomic Medicine Service'.

For a long time, I have been interested in the social dimensions of genomics and personalised medicine and currently I focus on the implementation of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service. Especially, I focus on the way genomic data is being produced, analysed, interpreted, and used in other ways and how the use of genomic data is being made possible (or not) by the use and creation of standards, infrastructure, and the organisation of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service. In this, I draw on work from STS, medical sociology, critical data studies, and the history of genomics.

PhD Candidate

The title of my thesis is: ‘Data-Driven Innovations and Epidemics: Regulatory Responses’.

 My research focuses on the regulatory responses of data-driven innovations in the context of epidemiological emergencies. I am interested in studying the possibilities for public involvement and engagement in regulating data-driven technologies in the context of epidemic control and outbreak management.  

PhD Candidate

I’m a PhD student with a University of Edinburgh - KU Leuven studentship in Medical and Health Humanities. Under supervision of Prof. Dr. Steve Sturdy (UoE) and Prof. Dr. Ine van Hoyweghen (KUL) my PhD research focuses on rare disease patient organisations, biobanks, and biomedical innovation. As a growing number of patient organisations have set up their own biobanks and registries, they have become influential in promoting, coordinating and directing research into their particular disease. They also commonly seek to control the products of such research in the shape of intellectual property and commercialisation agreements. Such activities give rise to the question of how patient organisations mediate between their membership on the one hand, and the worlds of medical care and biomedical innovation on the other.

PhD Candidate in Social Anthropology

My PhD is entitled ‘Value and friction in pharmaceutical innovation: The collective development of novel treatments for Huntington’s disease’. My research focuses on the multiple dimensions of value and value creation in Huntington’s disease research. I am interested in how individuals, families, patient organisations, and researchers create and experience value, and what happens when different values come into contact.

PhD Candidate

My PhD thesis is about the social and cultural dimensions of 'post-AIDS' health promotion in the Global North.

I teach Social and Ethical Aspects of Medicine (SEAM) in the Medical School and Contemporary Film Studies in the College of Art.

Part Time PhD Candidate in Science and Technology Studies

My doctoral research project, titled 'Optimizing antibiotics', explores how hospital antibiotic stewardship programs are designed and implemented by healthcare professionals in the context of democratic Spain upon the emergence of antimicrobial resistance as a public health problem.

I am also the managing editor at the flagship open-access journal Medicine Anthropology Theory (MAT) and have been an undergraduate tutor in several undergraduate courses in the School of Social and Political Science.

PhD Candidate in Bioethics on the One Health Models of Disease

Programme Early career researcher on the UK Pandemic Ethics Accelerator

During my PhD, I will be specialising in pandemic ethics and global health justice, asking questions such as:

• What have been the impacts of health policy on racial, gender, and socioeconomic justice, specifically in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic?​​​​​​
• How has COVID-19 impacted public awareness of and responses to global healthcare?
• What does species justice or One Health justice look like? Would adopting a One Health justice approach enable us to understand how animals are positioned in relation to public health? 

Alongside my PhD, I will also be working on the UK Pandemic Ethics Accelerator as an Early Career Researcher. 

Part Time PhD Candidate

The title of my thesis is: ‘Patient and Public Engagement and Involvement in Research: The Impacts on, and experience of, those being involved’.

PhD Candidate in Population Health Sciences

My PhD project investigates the role of hormonal contraceptives in the production of gender and sexuality, and conceptions of health and the self. 

My research intersects the disciplinary fields of critical theory, gender studies and medical humanities. 

I work within a research group investigating the social dimenstions of hormones labelled 'The Hormones Hub'.  

For the last two years my primary teaching commitment has been mentoring online Masters of Public Health students during their SLICC projects. 

PhD Candidate Research Associate

Postgraduate Representative on the Executive Committee of the Mason Institute for Medicine, Life Sciences and the Law

My PhD research proposes a feminist critique of Mental Health and Capacity Law in England and Wales. I am focussing on the mechanisms which allow patients to be treated without consent, and what new insights can be delivered by analysing the law from a feminist perspective. 

I am also a Research Associate with UK-REACH, which investigates if, how, and why ethnicity affects COVID-19 clinical outcomes in healthcare workers. I am working on a package in this project which seeks to understand and address legal and ethical issues arising from the linkage of data on health workers’ employment, registration and healthcare. 

PhD Candidate 

My PhD project examines what obligations the Global North has to rectify healthcare professional shortages in the Global South, specifically during global health emergencies.

In particular, I’m interested what Iris Marion Young’s conceptualisation of structural injustice and her corresponding Social Connection Model of Responsibility can contribute to re-framing Global North country responses to the healthcare professional shortages during global health emergencies as a matter of justice rather than charity.

PhD Candidate 

I'm a PhD student whose research focusses on artificial intelligence and ethical decision making in a resource-limited health care environment. 

I am also a researcher on the UK Pandemic Ethics Accelerator, working on the public values, transparency and governance work stream. 

Artistic Fellow 

I am an artist who creates theatre that challenges the accepted and expected. My work is produced through the performance collective 21Common. 

Through my fellowship, I am interested in exploring addiction, guilt and shame through the medium of performance art. I am interested in looking at the genetic and social reasons some of us have addictive and or compulsive natures.