Personal statement

I am a Chancellor's Fellow in History of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Strathclyde. My research interests are diverse, but converge on the topics of reproductive health, medical technology, and media history.

My first book, A Woman's Right to Know: Pregnancy Testing in Twentieth-Century Britain, will reconstruct for the first time the remarkable transformation of pregnancy testing from an esoteric laboratry service to a commonplace of everyday life.

Linked to this book project, I am collaborating with researchers around Europe on the contested history of the drug Primodos, a 'hormone pregnancy test' associated with birth defects akin to those caused by thalidomide.

A second collaborative project explores the role of film and other media in the production, communication and contestation of scientific and medical knowledge about biological reproduction (conception, embryological development, birth) in humans and other species.

I have published articles and book chapters on the history of pregnancy testing, population control, science fiction, feminism, product placement, health policy, contraception, and abortion.