Lesley Henderson
Senior Lecturer in Sociology & Communications
Sociology and Communications
Brunel University
Uxbridge, UB8 3PH
United Kingdom
Biography
Qualifications
- PG Cert. In Learning & Teaching in Higher Education (Brunel)
- PhD Sociology (Glasgow)
- BA Communication Studies (CNAA)
Personal Biography
I am a media Sociologist with interests in health, science and social problems. I completed my PhD in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Glasgow where I was a researcher with the Glasgow Media Group. I was also Senior Researcher in Public Health & Policy at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. I joined Brunel on a large Wellcome Trust grant to explore media coverage of the ethical, legal and social implications of new human genetics. I was appointed Lecturer in Sociology & Communications (2003) and promoted to Senior Lecturer (Research Excellence), 2008.
I enjoy my role as Programme Convenor for the thriving MSc, Media & Communications. I am Co Director of the newly formed Centre for Culture, Media and Regulation.
Research
Research Overview
My research and publications explore the production, transmission and audience reception of media messages concerning health, science; social problems and politics. Substantive areas include mental distress, breast cancer, MMR, infant feeding, social care, political disconnection. I have longstanding interests in public engagement and how ‘public’ issues are framed in television drama.
My research is problem orientated and policy relevant. It has attracted funding from various sources (AHRC, ESRC, Nuffield, Wellcome Trust, Dept of Health, Primary Care Trusts). I work with policy makers, journalists and programme makers as well as different charities and organisations. Current research looks at cross cultural health communication and uses of new/social media with younger audiences.
Co Director, Centre for Culture, Media and Regulation
Member, Centre for Biomedicine and Society
Current Projects
Health Communication in Cross Cultural Settings
2012 -
Lesley Henderson (PI)
Young People, Media and Health
2012 -
Lesley Henderson (PI)
Recently Completed Projects
SHIFT, Mental Health Attitudes
Mental Distress in Popular Television Drama
2010
Lesley Henderson (CI)
Arts and Humanities Research Council
Television News, Current Affairs and Young People: The problem of disconnection’
£108,339
2006 - 2008
Lesley Henderson (CI)
PhD Supervision
Emeka Dumbili: Media, Alcohol Consumption and Young People in Awka, Nigeria; Completion for 2016
Marta Villela Vila: Social Media, Gender and Health; Completion for 2019
Lama Alhamourri: Framing and Perception of the US Presidential Election 2008 in Arab media; Completion for 2012
Gabrielle Samuel: Media Representations of Experimental Neuroscience; Completion 2015.
Teaching
Undergraduate Programmes
Module convenor
- Understanding Audiences (Level 3)
Module contributor
- Introduction to Media and Communications (Level 1)
- Media Genres and Society (Level 2)
- Qualitative Methods in Dissertation (Level 3)
Postgraduate Programmes
Programme convenor
- MSc Media and Communications
Module convenor
- Media Audiences
- Principles of Media Research
Administration
- Programme Convenor, MSc Media & Communications
- Member, Postgraduate Committee, School of Social Sciences
- Co Director Centre for Culture Media and Communication
External Activity
- Fellow Royal Society of Medicine
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Member Parliamentary Media Literacy Group
- Panel Member, Society Research Awards, Wellcome Trust
- European Sociological Association
- ECREA
- International Association of Media and Communications Research
- BSA
- BSA Media and Politics Study Group
- MeCCSA
- External Examiner, Sociology Programme, Goldsmiths College, University of London
- Expert Reviewer, European Research Council, Brussels
- Contributor, Medical Sociology Online
- Visiting Lecturer, Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
- Visiting Lecturer, St Georges Hospital, London
Publications
Publications
Journal Papers
(2012) Henderson, L., Gender, sexuality and mental illness in Homeland, BMJ: British Medical Journal (17 May 2012)
(2011) Henderson, L., Mediating madness: Mental distress and cultural representation., European Journal of Communication 26 392- 396
(2011) Henderson, L., Cot death in EastEnders, BMJ: British Medical Journal
(2011) Henderson, L., McMillan, B., Green, JM. and Renfrew, MJ., Men and infant feeding: Perceptions of embarrassment, sexuality and social conduct in white low income British men, Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care 38 (1) : 61- 70
(2008) Henderson, L., How mad are we?, BMJ 3372641
(2008) Henderson, L., Millett, C. and Thorogood, N., Perceptions of childhood immunization in a minority community: Qualitative study, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 101 (5) : 244- 251
(2008) Wayne, M., Henderson, L., Murray, C. and Petley, J., Television news and the symbolic criminalisation of young people, Journalism Studies 9 (1) : 75- 90
(2007) Henderson, L. and Franklin, B., Sad not bad: Images of social care professionals in popular UK television drama, Journal of Social Work 7 (2) : 133- 153
(2007) Henderson, L. and Kitzinger, J., Orchestrating a science 'event': The case of the Human Genome Project, International Journal of New Genetics and Society 26 (1) : 65- 83
(2003) Williams, C., Kitzinger, J. and Henderson, L., Envisaging the embryo in stem cell research: Rhetorical strategies and media reporting of the ethical debates, Sociology of Health and Illness 25 (7) : 793- 814
(2000) Henderson, L., Kitzinger, J. and Green, J., Representing infant feeding: Content analysis of British media portrayals of bottle feeding and breast feeding, BMJ: British Medical Journal 321 (7270) : 1196-
(1999) Henderson, L. and Kitzinger, J., The human drama of genetics: 'hard' and 'soft' media representations of inherited breast cancer, SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 21 (5) : 560- 578
Book Chapters
(2010) Henderson, L., Medical TV dramas: Health care as soap opera. In: Panitch, L. and Leys, C. eds. Morbid symptoms: Health under capitalism. London : Merlin Press 198- 215
(2008) Henderson, L., Media: Reframing the debates. In: Tummey, R. and Turner, T. eds. Critical issues in mental health. Palgrave Macmillan 23- 47
(2008) Henderson, L., Popular media and epidemic disease: Recent trends. In: Byrne, JP. ed. Encyclopedia of pestilence, pandemics and plagues. Santa Barbara, CA : Greenwood Publishing Group 556- 559
(2007) Kitzinger, J., Williams, C. and Henderson, L., Science, media and society: The framing of bioethical debates around embryonic stem cell research between 2000 and 2005. In: Glasner, PE., Atkinson, P. and Greenslade, H. eds. New genetics, new social formations. Oxon, UK : Routledge 204- 252
(2005) Carter, S. and Henderson, L., Approaches to qualitative data collection in social science. In: Bowling, A. and Ebrahim, S. eds. Handbook of health research methods: Investigation, measurement and analysis. Maidenhead, UK : Open University Press 215- 229
(2000) Saywell, C., Henderson, L. and Beattie, L., Sexualised illness: The newsworthy body in media representations of breast cancer. In: Potts, LK. ed. Ideologies of breast cancer: Feminist perspectives. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan 37- 62
(2000) Henderson, L., Gen wird popular: Inhalte und Rezeption der beitrage zum Thema Brustkrebforschung, in der britischen Medien. In: Jazbinsek, D. ed. Gesundheitskommunikation. Weisbaden : VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 229- 245
(1999) Philo, G. and Henderson, L., Audience responses to suicide in a television drama. In: Philo, G. ed. Message received. Essex : Pearson 82- 89
(1999) Henderson, L., Producing serious soaps. In: Philo, G. ed. Message received. Essex : Pearson 62- 81
(1999) Philo, G. and Henderson, L., Why go to casualty? Health fears and fictional television. In: Philo, G. ed. Message received. Essex : Pearson 93- 105
(1996) Philo, G., Secker, J., Platt, S., Henderson, L., McLaughlin, G. and Burnside, J., Media images of mental distress. In: Heller, T., Reynolds, J., Gomm, R., Muston, R. and Pattison, S. eds. Mental health matters: A reader. Palgrave Macmillan -
(1996) Henderson, L., Selling suffering: Mental illness and media values. In: Philo, G. ed. Media and mental distress. Longman 18- 36
Books
(2013) Henderson, L. and Carter, S., Using Qualitative Research Design. Sage Publications
(2010) Wayne, M., Petley, J., Murray, C. and Henderson, L., Television news, politics and young people: Generation disconnected?. Palgrave Macmillan
(2007) Henderson, L., Social issues in television fiction. Edinburgh University Press
