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Rebecca Dimond

Dr Rebecca Dimond

Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Email
DimondR1@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone
+44 29225 10113
Campuses
Glamorgan Building, Room Room 2.08, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WA
Users
Available for postgraduate supervision

Overview

Rebecca is a lecturer/researcher in medical sociology. She contributes to a range of sociology modules, and has convened third year modules such as Sociology of Health and Illness and Genetics and Society. 

Rebecca's teaching/research interests include:

  • Classification of genetic syndromes and their consequences
  • Reproductive technologies
  • Patient, family and professional perspectives
  • Qualitative research methods

Rebecca co-convenes the Medicine, Science and Culture group (MeSC) within SOCSI, and has been the co-convenor of the BSA Medical Sociology (Wales) group.

Publication

2023

2022

2021

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2009

2007

Articles

Book sections

Books

Conferences

Monographs

Websites

Research

Rebecca has worked on several research projects within Cardiff School of Social Sciences, exploring the implications of genetic disease for patients, families, professionals and charities. 

Before taking up her lecture post, Rebecca was awarded an ESRC Future Research Leaders grant to explore the development of reproductive technologies involving mitochondria transfer. Her project is titled 'Patient and professional understanding of risk: how complexity and uncertainty of genetic knowledge impacts on reproductive decision making'. (ESRC ref 504751 2014 - 2017).

The emergence of novel IVF techniques involving mitochondria donation could give women with mitochondrial disease the opportunity to have healthy children. The possibility that a future generation can be born without mitochondrial disease has been widely embraced by patients and professionals. However, accounts of mitochondrial donation, particularly within media coverage assume a level of technological determinism, that if these techniques are available then this will 'halt', 'eliminate' or 'eradicate' mitochondrial disease from families. The research will contribute to the debate by examining how patients with mitochondrial disease make reproductive choices, how their experiences of health and illness shape or direct their decisions and how the debate around mitochondria technologies has developed.

Her PhD, completed in 2011 and supervised by Professor Paul Atkinson and Dr Katie Featherstone, examined the social construction of a rare genetic disorder, 22q11 deletion syndrome. This was a multi-sited ethnography, drawing on observation of clinical consultations and conferences, and interviews with families and health professionals. Before this, she worked as a research assistant examining communication strategies of patients and carriers of haemophilia. Following her PhD, she worked as a research associate focusing on the patient experience of mitochondrial disease in the context of emerging reproductive technologies (PI Professor Ruth Chadwick). 

Teaching

Rebecca is a lecturer/researcher in medical sociology. She contributes to a range of sociology modules, and has convened third year modules such as Sociology of Health and Illness and Genetics and Society. 

Rebecca's teaching/research interests include:

  • Classification of genetic syndromes and their consequences
  • Reproductive technologies
  • Patient, family and professional perspectives
  • Qualitative research methods

Rebecca co-convenes the Medicine, Science and Culture group (MeSC) within SOCSI, and has been the co-convenor of the BSA Medical Sociology (Wales) group.

Biography

Rebecca gained an MSc in Social Science Research Methods and PhD from Cardiff University School of Social Sciences, and a BSc and MA with the Open University.

Within Social Sciences, Rebecca has been employed as a secretary, data collector, research assistant, research associate, research fellow and lecturer. 

Honours and awards

2021      HEA fellowship status

2020     Learned Society of Wales Dillwyn Medal Winner (Social Sciences, Education and Business)

2020 Shortlisted for the Foundation of Sociology of Health and Illness book prize (for Legalising Mitochondrial Donation: Enacting Ethical Futures in UK Biomedical Politics)

2018     School of Social Sciences award for contribution to teaching

Supervisions

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of:

Qualitative research

All aspects of health and illness