Wendy Martin

Academic qualifications

 PhD (2008) Department of Sociology, University of Warwick. ESRC funded. Thesis ‘Embodying ‘active’ ageing: health, bodies and emotions in later life’.

MA (with distinction) in Sociological Research in Health Care. University of Warwick (1999). ESRC funded.

BSc (First Class Honours) Sociology and Anthropology. Oxford Brookes University (1997)

Registered General Nurse. St. Mary’s Hospital, London (1986)

Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice. University of Reading (2011)

 

Profile

I am a Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences and Social Care, Brunel University. My background is in nursing and I completed my PhD in Sociology entitled Embodying active ageing: health, bodies and emotions in later life at the University of Warwick. I am currently co-investigator on four funded research projects and Principal Investigator on the research project ‘Photographing Everyday Life: Ageing, Lived Experiences, Time and Space’ (ESRC First Grants scheme). This project brings together my interests in visual research, embodiment, and everyday life.

I am co-convenor of the British Sociological Association (BSA) Ageing, Body and Society study group with Professor Julia Twigg (University of Kent) that has an active and lively series of symposia and one day annual conferences that includes international speakers. I am an active member of the Brunel Institute for Ageing Studies (BIAS) and the Centre for Biomedicine and Society (CBAS) at Brunel University.

I am programme leader for the MSc Health Promotion and Public Health and my teaching involves the social context of health promotion and public health, qualitative research methods and the sociology of health and illness.

I am currently writing a book for Policy Press entitled Ageing Bodies: Critical Perspectives and co-editing The Routledge Handbook of Cultural Gerontology with Professor Julia Twigg (University of Kent).  I have recently completed co-editing a special issue of Dementia: The Journal of Social Research and Practice entitled 'Embodiment and Dementia' with Dr Pia Kontos (University of Toronto) and Dr Richard Ward (University of Stirling) that is due to published in May 2013.

 

Committee responsibilities

Research Committee

Research Ethics Committee

Programme Leaders Committee

Elected Academic Representative for School Board 2010 – 2014

Marketing and Admissions Working Group

Equality and Diversity (Research) Commitee

Admin responsibilities

Programme Leader for the MSc Health Promotion and Public Health (School of Health Sciences and Social Care)

Teaching responsibilities

Module Leader and Lecturer for HH55024 Public Health: Social Context, Exploration and Action (School of Health Sciences and Social Care)

Lecturer for HH55022 Research Design (School of Health Sciences and Social Care)

Lecturer for Qualitative Research Methods (Graduate School)

Dissertation Supervisor for the MSc Health Promotion and Public Health (School of Health Sciences and Social Care)

Personal tutor for the MSc Health Promotion and Public Health (School of Health Sciences and Social Care)

Guest lecturer for S02601 Sociology of Health and Illness (Department of Sociology)

Guest Lecturer for HH55027 Global Perspectives in Public Health and Health Promotion (School of Health Sciences and Social Care)

Guest Lecturer for HH55036 Occupational Therapy for Active Ageing (School of Health Sciences and Social Care)

 

Teaching interest

Qualitative Research Methods; Social Context of Health Promotion and Public Health; Sociology of Health and Illness; Social Context of Ageing; Sociology of the Body and Emotions

Research interests

Ageing bodies; daily lives; ageing and ethnicity; perspectives on health, ‘risk’ and ageing; growing older in transnational communities; perceptions and experiences of dementia; visual images and risk; emotions, gender and ageing; 'neurocultures' and ageing; perceptions of safety and security; and care and caring.

My key methodological approach is qualitative, participatory and involves the development and use of visual research methods.

Research centres

• Brunel Institute for Ageing Studies (BIAS)
• Centre for Biomedicine and Society (CBAS)

Research projects and grants

Wendy Martin ESRC First Grants scheme. Photographing Everyday Life: Ageing, Lived Experiences, Time and Space. 2010 – 2013: £300,000: Principal Investigator

ESRC Seminar series. Ageing, Race and Ethnicity. PI: Professor Christina Victor. Co-applicants: Dr Akile Ahmet, Dr Wendy Martin, Dr Deborah Cairns, Professor Vanessa Burholt (Swansea), & Dr Karan Juttla (Worcester) (£17,950) 2012 – 2014 Co-Investigator

Co-investigator / Co-mentor, for Dr Jay Shaw, on a fellowship funded by Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Health Care, Technology, and Place programme (University of Toronto). October 2012 - September 2014. Inter-organizational collaboration for patient transitions: The inter-relation between policy and practice in England and Canada.

Victor, C. (Principal Investigator, Brunel); Le May, A. (Southampton), Martin, W. (Brunel), Williams, V. (Oxford), Richards, S.  (Oxford Brookes) and Oliver D. (City) The Dunhill Medical Trust. Bridging the gap between policy and practice: dignity in care for older people. Co-Investigator. January 2011 – 2013:  £121,254

Victor, C. (Principal Investigator); Martin, W., Burholt, V (Swansea University) Inter, intra-generational and transnational caring in minority communities: reciprocity, duty or obligation? The Leverhulme Trust: £186,000 Co-Investigator

Prof Victor (Principal Investigator, Brunel) and Dr Martin (Co-Investigator) ESRC New Dynamics of Ageing programme grant ‘Families and Caring in South Asian Communities’. Co-Investigator. October 2007 – June 2011: £370,000

Prof Goodman (Principal Investigator, Herts.), Dr Dickinson (Herts.), Dr Martin (Brunel), Dr Froggatt (Lancaster), Prof Victor (Brunel), Dr Gage (Surrey) and Prof Iliffe(UCL)  SDO. National Institute for Health Research. Study to develop integrated working between primary health care services and care homes. Co-Investigator. January 2009 – December 2011: £500,000

Martin, W. Research Endowment Trust Fund (University of Reading) ‘Food, Poverty and Place in Later Life’. Principal Investigator. Sept 2007 – 2009: £1,800.

Member of KISS: Keeping Individuals Safe and Secure Network. The New Dynamics of Ageing. November 2006-7

Membership and affiliation

Academic Member of the ESRC Peer Review College (November 2012 - October 2014)

Co-convenor of the BSA (British Sociological Association) Ageing, Body and Society study group (since 2008; with Professor Julia Twigg, University of Kent)

Officer at Large for the RC11 Sociology of Ageing Committee of the International Sociological Association (ISA) (2010 - 2014)

Fellow of The Higher Education Academy (since 2012)

Member of the International Visual Sociology Association (IVSA) (since 2013)

Past Secretary of the British Society of Gerontology (BSG) (2011 - 2013)

Honorary Secretary of the British Society of Gerontology (BSG) (2008 – 2011)

Member of the Executive Committee of the British Society of Gerontology (BSG) (2006 - 2008)

Professional activities or recognition

External Examiner, Bradford Dementia Centre, University of Bradford (2010 - 2014)

Co-Chair of the Conference Committee for the 39th Annual Conference of the British Society of Gerontology, Brunel University, 6 - 8 July 2010 (2007 - 2010)

Lead editor of the online British Society of Gerontology newsletter Generations Review (Jan 2007 - Dec 2010)

Publications

Journal Papers

(2013) Cairns, D., Williams, V., Victor, C., Richards, S., Le May, A., Martin, W. and Oliver, D., The meaning and importance of dignified care: findings from a survey of health and social care professionals, BMC Geriatrics 13 (28)

(2013) Martin, W., Kontos, P. and Ward, R., Editorial for the Special Issue 'Embodiment and Dementia', Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice Forthcoming

(2013) Kontos, P. and Martin, W., Embodiment and Dementia: Exploring Critical Narratives of Selfhood, Surveillance and Dementia Care, Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice (Forthcoming) : 1- 15

(2012) Gage, H., Dickinson, A., Victor, C., Williams, P., Cheynel, J., Davies, S., Iliffe, S., Froggatt, K., Martin, W. and Goodman, C., Integrated working between residential care homes and primary care: a survey of care homes in England, BMC Geriatrics 12 (71)

(2012) Martin, W., Visualising risk: Health, gender and the ageing body, Critical Social Policy 32 (1) : 51- 68

(2012) Victor, CR., Martin, W. and Zubair, M., Families and caring amongst older people in South Asian communities in the UK: A pilot study, European Journal of Social Work 15 (1) : 81- 96

(2012) Victor, C., Burholt, V. and Martin, W., Loneliness and Ethnic Minority Elders in Great Britain: An Exploratory Study, Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology 27 (1) : 65- 78

(2012) Zubair, M., Martin, W. and Victor, C., Embodying Gender, Age, Ethnicity and Power in 'the Field': Reflections on Dress and the Presentation of the Self in Research with Older Pakistani Muslims, Sociological Research Online: an electronic journal 17 (3) : 21

(2011) Davies, S., Goodman, C., Bunn, F., Victor, C., Dickinson, A., Iliffe, S., Gage, H., Martin, W. and Froggatt, K., A systematic review of integrated working between care homes and health care services, BMC Health Services Research 11 (320)

(2007) Martin, W. and Bartlett, H., The social significance of sleep for older people with dementia in the context of care, Sociological Research Online 12 (5) : 11

Book Chapters

(2012) Zubair, M., Martin, W. and Victor, CR., Doing Pakistani ethnicity, the female way: Issues of identity, trust and recruitment when researching older Pakistani Muslims in the UK. In: Leontowitsch, M. ed. Researching Later Life and Ageing. Expanding Qualitative Research Agendas and Methods. Basingstoke : Palgrave MacMillan 63- 83

(2003) Martin, W. and Bartlett, H., Valuing people with dementia. In: Adams, T. and Manthorpe, J. eds. Dementia Care. London : Arnold Publishers 22- 34

(2001) Bartlett, H. and Martin, W., Ethical issues in dementia care research. In: Wilkinson, H. ed. The Perspectives of People with Dementia. Research Methods and Motivations. London : Jessica Kingsley 47- 62