About Dr Stephanie Mulrine
I'm the theme lead for Medical Sociology for MBChB Medicine in the School of Medicine.
My broad interests are inequalities and how individuals and groups navigate or resist them, and how can we work towards social justice, particularly as it relates to health and wellbeing. In order to understand how social issues impact the lived experience I have expertise in utilising a range of qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews, focus groups, and ethnography. I'm passionate about working with marginalised communities to coproduce research that genuinely reflects their voices and the issues that they face, and reflect this in my teaching wherever possible to share and inform our students as they progress in medicine.
Teaching and supervision
Within the School of Medicine I'm responsible for developing and teaching medical sociology, and also deliver teaching on qualitative research methods. I am a Problem-Based Learning tutor.
Prior to joining the School of medicine I've worked in a number of roles in which I taught and supervised both undergraduate and postgraduate students at Teesside University, Northumbria University and Newcastle University. I have delivered teaching in the areas of sociology, public health, social epidemiology, study skills and research methods.
Research
I have applied my methodological skillset to a range of research projects including:
- Evaluating the impact of smoking cessation in mental health hospitals
- Understanding public perceptions of health data sharing in the NHS
- Examining the impact of COVID-19 on safe discharges from hospitals in care homes
- Understanding the experience of healthcare in police custody settings.
I studied BA in Sociology at University of York, then undertook an MA in Sociology and Social Research at Newcastle University. My passion for research led me to undertake a PhD in Medical Sociology at Teesside University. My doctoral research examined the experience of bereaved carers from working-class and disadvantaged communities to understand their experiences of end-of-life and grief using qualitative methods. My research has been presented at a variety of national and international conferences, as well as to commissioners of research. I have peer-reviewed for several journals and funders of research grants.
Currently, I am a Visiting Researcher in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University collaborating with colleagues on an ESRC funded project that sought to investigate healthcare access in police custody settings. I am also working in collaboration with colleagues at the Open University on a funded project seeking to investigate the experience of grief and bereavement for neurodivergent children and young people.
My research grant income includes:
- (Co-I) Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness, Research Grant Development Award – Project Title: Grieving Divergently? Developing understanding and support for bereaved neurodivergent children and young people through gameplay. Awarded £5912.67 in 2025-2026
- Economic & Social Research Council – Project Title: What is 'Equivalence' in Police Custody Healthcare? Awarded £711,868.67 in 2021-2024
- Information Commissioners Office funding award – Project Title: ‘Securely sharing medical information and supporting research’. Awarded £82,544 in 2017 – 2019
- The Wellcome Trust, Small Grant: Qualitative Health Research Writing Group Network. Awarded £5,000 in 2015 – 2016
Areas of expertise
- Power and structural violence
- Health inequalities and their impact
- Sociological understanding of death, dying and bereavement
- Qualitative research approaches and research design