Newcastle University

Medical Sociology

The Institute of Health & Society’s Medical Sociology group is a broad ranging, cross-faculty group which includes a small number of medical anthropologists; members work with all research themes within IHS. We provide subject expertise to research projects across the Faculty of Medical Sciences and University more widely.

Our research interests are wide ranging from individual patient and carer experiences of health and health care to the organisation of health care work to the implementation of health care technologies, global health and health policy analysis  We apply different theoretical sociological approaches dependent upon the subject under research. As medical sociologists we provide qualitative and quantitative research methodological expertise to different and diverse studies. We engage in all aspects of the research process: protocol development and writing; the research ethics process; conducting and overseeing fieldwork and disseminating findings.

Members of the group also participate in, and lead undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and assessment in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, and the supervision of student projects. Individual members of the group lead the MSc in Public Health and Health Service Research and the MSc in Social Science and Health. In addition, there is a thriving community of postgraduate students drawing on medical sociology perspectives and our supervisory expertise.

IHS leads the Social Science and Health Pathway in the Durham-Newcastle DTC and we welcome enquiries from graduates who wish to apply social science perspectives to health research as part of a doctoral training programme.

Staff List