Our goal is to develop innovative interdisciplinary research and educate students to apply critical social and cultural analysis in studies of health and disease who can work as advocates for a more sustainable society.
About the group
The main health challenges facing contemporary society are composite bio-social problems that require complex solutions: The rise in obesity and non-communicable diseases, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and viral pandemic threats, the demands linked to an ageing population, the increasing inequity in health, the prevalence of chronic conditions, and the high prevalence of mental-health issues - all point to the limitations of thinking about health in biological terms alone. All these challenges require an approach to health that accounts for biomedical mechanisms as well as the social determinants of health, social meanings, and social responses to disease.