Professor Flis Henwood

Flis Henwood is a social scientist with a background in science and technology studies. She studied applied social sciences at Bristol Polytechnic, before going on to study for a Masters in science and technology studies at the University of Sussex. In the early part of her career, her PhD and immediate post-doctoral research and teaching were concerned with exploring the gender-technology relationship, particularly in educational and work contexts. She led the innovative ‘women and technology’ programme at the University of East London (formerly the Polytechnic of East London and North East London Poly) between 1988 and 2001. Since 2001, and her move to the University of 映客直播, the focus of her work has been the development of critical social science perspectives on information and ‘new’ technologies with respect to 'e’ and ‘m-health' developments. She is particularly interested in the relationship between information, technology and care and in developing an understanding of these relationships both in, and between, the contexts of policy, practice and the 'lived experience'.

Flis Henwood

Professor Flis Henwood
Head of SSPARC
Professor of Social Informatics

How I like to teach

I like to encourage students to think critically about how ‘new’ technologies are understood - in policy, practice and in the everyday ‘lived experience’, particularly with respect to health and social care. I contribute teaching in these areas wherever I can across the social sciences. I encourage critical reading and debate, especially with regard to the polarised claims made for ‘new’ technologies, wherever they occur.

My research interests

My research focuses on understanding the design, development and use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in everyday work and life settings, with particular emphasis on how such technologies mediate and shape health and social care practices. Examples of past projects include: the development and use of electronic patient records (EPR) in the maternity services; the use of the internet by lay people seeking information about health risks; the use of ICTs to support self-care in the context of 'obesity'; mid-life and older adults' engagements with the discourses of self-care, personal responsibility and choice in the context of the new 'healthy living' imperative; the creation of primary care electronic patient records; the information and support needs of people with dementia and their carers.

My current projects include a 5-year EU-funded EmERGE project on the development and evaluation of a mobile 'phone app for stable HIV patients (2015-2020), a 3-year Leverhulme-funded project exploring the everyday practices of self-monitoring (2016-2019) and a longitudinal evaluation of the Alzheimer’s Society’s ‘self-management’ programme for people with early stage dementia (2014-2017).

My research activity

Current research projects:

  • Tracking ourselves?
  • EmERGE

  • Evaluation of the Alzheimer’s Society’s ‘Live Well’ self-management programme for people with dementia

Previous research projects:

  • Evaluation of the Alzheimer’s Society’s ‘Carers’ Information and support programme (CrISP)’ for carers’ of people with dementia
  • Electronic Patient Records (EPR) evaluation
  • Patient record Enhancement Project (PREP)
  • Evaluation of mobile phone app. for use by stable HIV patients

Research Centres and Groups:

  • Social Science and Policy Research Centre (SSPARC)

Contact me

Professor Flis Henwood
Professor of Social Informatics

Applied Social Science
Falmer
映客直播
BN1 9PH

Telephone: +44 (0)1273 643925

Email: F.Henwood@brighton.ac.uk

Biography

I completed my BA (Hons) Social Sciences degree (2:1) at Bristol Polytechnic in 1978. I went on to study for my Masters in Science, Technology and Industrialisation at the University of Sussex (1983), gaining a distinction, before completing by DPhil in 1992, entitled Gender and Occupation: Discourses on Gender, Work and Equal Opportunities in a College of Technology, also at Sussex. I worked as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Innovation Studies at the University of East London (formerly Polytechnic of East London and North East London Polytechnic) where I led an innovative ‘Women and Technology’ programme on an interdisciplinary IT degree between 1988 and 2001. During this time, I published widely on gender and technology issues.

In 2001, I moved to the University of 映客直播’s School of Computing, Maths and Information Sciences- first as a Senior Research Fellow, then Senior Lecturer and then Reader (2003). In 2006, I was made Professor of Social Informatics and led a successful programme of research concerned with the social implications of new digital health developments (e-health). During this period, I held several senior leadership roles in the School, including a short period as Acting Head of School (2007-8). In 2009, I moved to the School of Applied Social Science at 映客直播 and continued to lead research into e-health, as well as taking on the role of Head of Research for the school. From September 2016, I have been Deputy Head of School (Research) and continue to lead the school on research strategy.

My many research projects have been funded by the Department of Health, ESRC and Medical Research Council (joint programme), the Social Care Institute of Excellence,  the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Leverhulme Trust, the Wellcome Trust, the Alzheimer’s Society and the EU (H2020 programme).

During my career, I have undertaken many external roles, examining many PhDs (including York, Imperial College, Cambridge, Newcastle, Keele, Edinburgh, East Anglia, Liverpool); acting as invited expert for a range of Research Council funding programmes in the e-health area, both in the UK and in Norway (EPSRC, ESRC, Technology Strategy Board, Norwegian Research Council) and was invited external evaluator the ESRC’s ‘E-society’ programme of research that ran from 2003-2007. I am a member of the editorial board for Digital Health and Information, Communication and Society, referee regularly for another 5-6 journals and for research councils and other funding bodies (including ESRC, Department of Health).

I am an active member of the British Sociological Association (where I am co-convenor of the Conference Programme Committee for the MedSoc Study Group) and the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST).

 

Research output

PhD students

 Name Thesis
Current students
Shanu Sadhwani (2015 - current) Stigma in healthcare: Does it influence the way GPs record consultations?
Gigliola Brintazzoli (2013 - current) Technology, care and a sense of home
Cara Redlich (2013 - current)

Care Online? The experience of older people
Previous students
Bethany Davies (2016)

Exploring the implications of increased mobile phone use in hospitals
Martin Burns (2015)

Reassembling electronic patient records after the National programme for IT: contested visions and multiple enactments
Chloe Peacock (2013) Double  distinction: An analysis of consumer participation in Apple branding
Jayne Cardno (2010) Community health informatics: The case of PlaceToBe.Net
Gwyneth Hughes (1998) Gender, power and resistance in post-sixteen science education
Sarah Plumeridge (1996) Women and Computing in Higher Education: An analysis of the pedagogic discourses of undergraduate computing’

Roles

Deputy Head of School (Research)

Member of the BSA’s MedSoc Committee

Co-Convenor South Coast Region MedSoc Group