School of Social and Political Science

Background

I have a background in both Social and Biological Anthropology, which I studied at the University of Kent. This gave me good grounding for the study of the human body, both from a physical and cultural perspective. This meant that it was a good fit when I specialised in Medical Anthropology in a year-long program at the University of Copenhagen in the 2022-23 academic year. 

I am interested in how medical systems measure and categorise individuals for the purposes of healthcare provision. This interest was especially sparked when I had the opportunity to study with ex-coalminers in the Kent area, focusing on how the injuries they had sustained working in the pits were calculated into a 'total percentage of bodily injury', used to determine the amount of compensation they would recieve from the state. Framing these calculation practices within the wider political climate of strikes and colliery shutdowns across the country was a central goal of this research.

My current research within the Science, Technology and Innovation Studies department focuses on another kind of categorisation, but of individuals' experiences rather than their bodies. I am undertaking a qualitative PhD project seeking to unpack feedback and complaint as different avenues for patient voice in the Scottish NHS. It brings in themes of patient-centred care and citizen representation as it asks the question: how might feedback and complaint intersect, and what consequences does this have for the categorisation of patient experience?