Professor Elizabeth Mason-whitehead
Professor (Emeritus)
Biography
Professor Elizabeth Mason-Whitehead is Professor of Health and Social Care and Head of Medical Science, Chester Medical School, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Society, University of Chester. Currently Professor Mason-Whitehead is responsible for the operational delivery of Medical Science and Applied Medicine in Chester Medical School and supporting the Dean of Chester Medical School's strategic vision. Before entering academia, Professor Mason-Whitehead worked in clinical practice both in hospital and community settings as a registered nurse, midwife and health visitor.
Teaching and Supervision
Professor Mason-Whitehead has substantial experience of teaching undergraduate and more extensively postgraduate and doctoral programmes, across a wide range of health professional, sociology and medical science courses. Examples of teaching areas include: stigma and theories, and applications to practice; stigma of leprosy, bowel disease, teenage pregnancy and abortion; health inequalities; equality and diversity; postgraduate and doctoral education; qualitative research methods and history of medicine and nursing, notably Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. Professor Mason-Whitehead is currently supervising several PhD and MSc students engaged in stigma research, particularly relating to maternal health and is asked to examine doctorates in this field. Professor Mason-Whitehead has over successful 20 PhD and 50 MSc dissertation completions and has been invited to examine over 15 doctoral PhD examinations and frequently asked to chair viva examinations.
Research and Knowledge Exchange
Professor Mason-Whitehead has established a portfolio of work, primarily though not exclusively in the sociology of health and illness, notably, social stigma, from teenage pregnancy, bowel disease and more recently leprosy, for which she has worked with The Leprosy Mission. More recently Professor Mason-Whitehead has focused on nursing and medical history and planning work on the impact of university medical and nursing museums on student learning.