MSc in Medical Sociology The Staff

Professor Jonathan Gabe

Professor Jonathan Gabe researches mental health, health care organisation and chronic illness. Internationally known for his research on social aspects of tranquilliser use, risk and health and the status of medicine and the medical profession in contemporary society, he is currently co-directing a study of ‘Experts on the line; the case of NHS Direct’, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, and recently completed two Department of Health funded studies: one on disability and handicap in young people with asthma, and the other on patient partnership in medical decision-making involving young people and their families. Professor Gabe has written/edited twelve books and has published articles for a wide range of journals, including Sociology of Health and Illness, Sociology, Sociological Review, Social Science and Medicine and the International Journal of Health Services. He was co-editor of the international journal Sociology of Health and Illness from 1994 to 2000 and was the journal’s Monograph Editor until 2005.

Professor Raymond Lee

Professor Raymond Lee is internationally renowned as a research methodologist. He researches the problems and issues surrounding research on ‘sensitive’ topics, the difficulties involved in conducting research that poses physical dangers to researchers, and the impact of new technologies on the research process. He has published widely on these issues, including Unobtrusive Methods In Social Research (Open University Press, 2000). He has played a leading role in fostering and evaluating the use of computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) both in this country and abroad and is co-director of the ESRC-supported CAQDAS Networking Project which exists to provide information and support on the use of computers in qualitative data analysis. He is also co-ordinator of the ESRC’s nation-wide Researcher Development Initiative.

Professor Michael Bury

Professor Michael Bury is known across the globe for his pioneering work on the experience of chronic illness and disability. He has published widely in the area of medical sociology in such areas as the personal experience of asthma, aging and health, and medical interaction between doctors and children. He has co-directed (with Jonathan Gabe) a Department of Health-funded study entitled “Disability and Handicap in Young People with Asthma” and another, with Dr. Elston, on friendship among the dying. A past member of the UK’s prestigious Medical Research Council and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Professor Bury co-edited the journal Sociology of Health and Illness from 1994-2000.

Dr. Mary Ann Elston

Dr. Mary Ann Elston has an international reputation in the sociology of the professions, gender and medical science. She has edited a major text entitled The Sociology of Medical Science and Technology (Blackwell, 1997) and has published widely on women in medicine, the organization of biomedical research and violence against health care workers. She was co-editor of the international journal Sociology of Health and Illness from 1994 until 2000.