Role
Dr Sarah Earle is Professor of Social Science, works across the School of Social Sciences and is based in the Department of Social & Political Sciences at Nottingham Trent University.
She joined the department in November 2023 and leads the university’s submission to REF for Unit of Assessment C20 (Social Work & Social Policy). She is a member of the department’s research leadership team and the school’s Research & Innovation Committee. She provides research leadership, mentoring and support within her department and across the school. She teaches medical sociology across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate sociology courses and supervises doctoral candidates and dissertation students.
Career overview
Sarah Earle is a medical sociologist with a combined honours degree in Sociology & Social Policy (1993) and a PhD in Sociology (1998). Her doctoral research examined women’s corporeality during pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood.
She taught sociology and social policy at Coventry University (predominantly to students on pre-registration health and social care programmes including nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy and social work) and Nottingham Trent University while studying for her doctorate. After this she worked as a Research Assistant within the Disability Research Centre, also at Coventry University. In 1999 she started her first full-time, permanent lecturing post at Birmingham City University, teaching sociology and social policy on an undergraduate health studies degree and to pre-registration health and social care students. After this Sarah joined the University of Northampton as a Lecturer in Health Studies before joining The Open University in 2005.
Sarah worked at The Open University until 2023 and was Professor of Medical Sociology within the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies. Sarah undertook a range of (predominantly research) leadership roles within her faculty and across the university including Head of Department (2008 – 2009) Associate Dean for Research, Scholarship & Enterprise (2009 – 2016), Director of Research in Health & Wellbeing (2016 – 2022) and Living Well lead for the Open Challenges Research Programme (2022 – 23).
Research areas
Overview
Building on her doctoral work, which focused on women’s experiences of the body during pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood, Sarah has always been interested in the materiality of the sexed body, particularly in relation to women’s reproductive and sexual health. Much of her work has focused on the intersections between this and experiences of disability and chronic illness.
Through a sustained commitment to interdisciplinary research that connects theory with policy and practice, her research adopts inclusive methodologies to shape theoretical and conceptual debates within the sociology of health and health care. Sarah’s research focuses, in particular, on how those whose reproductive and sexual lives are defined as non-normative are denied reproductive and sexual citizenship, and on how this lack of agency impacts on everyday life.
Recent and current research projects
- Challenging Reproductive Injustice for Women with Learning Disabilities. In collaboration with colleagues at My Life My Choice and The Open University.
- Vulnerable young people living with COVID-19 and their families: The unexpected consequences of pandemic control. In collaboration with Hospice UK, Together for Short Lives and the International Children’s Palliative Care Network.
- Talking about Sex. In collaboration with Hospice UK and funded by Together for Short Lives.
Research supervision
Sarah has supervised numerous doctoral candidates to successful completion and is regularly invited to examine the work of doctoral candidates both within the UK and internationally. She is interested in supervising students in the following areas:
- Reproductive health
- Sexual health, intimacy and wellbeing
- Facilitated (supported) sex
- Chronic illness, health and identity
- Sex, reproduction and disability
Funding
Sarah has received funding from various grant awarding organisations including:
- NIHR
- European Regional Development Fund
- Open Society Foundations
- Together for Short Lives
- Brook
- Spinal Injuries Association
- Macintyre Care
- Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness
- Various NHS trusts and groups
External activity
Research impact
Sarah has a long-standing commitment to ensuring that her research has impact beyond academia. This is exemplified through her inclusive research practices, engagement with stakeholders beyond the academy and the dissemination of her research to practitioner audiences.
Her co-produced research on sex, relationships and disability has had a national sector-wide influence on sexual support for young people with life-limiting conditions. It has informed the design and development of Guidance and Standards for practitioners and organisations, endorsed by the Royal College of Nursing. This resource is widely used by those supporting young people in transition and has led to changes in hospice policy and governance in the young people’s palliative care sector. As part of this work, Sarah has designed research-based training and development enabling hundreds of practitioners to access continuing professional development, endorsed by the RCPCH (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. The co-production of open educational resources based on her research has further supported young people, their families and carers with this important subject. These resources are freely available below:
- Intimate not Intimidated: It’s Time to Talk about Sex and Disability
- Let’s talk about sex, intimacy and relationships … with a life-limiting, life-threatening or another disabling condition
- Nine top tips on talking about sex… for young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions
- Five things to know about being disabled and LGBTQ
- Let’s talk about sex: A love and relationships guide (easy read, produced in association with Mencap)
- Talking about sex: A booklet for young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and their carers
Academic service
Sarah was the first social sciences sub-editor for the journal Human Fertility, ensuring that the sociology of human reproduction and related social sciences disciplines play a role in the study of human fertility. She also served on the international editorial board of Sociological Research Online. Currently, Sarah is a member of the RCN National Council for Child Health & Wellbeing, providing expertise on sex and relationships for disabled young people, and the Association for Paediatric Palliative Medicine Joint Research Group helping to build research capacity across the sector and supporting the translation of research into practice. Sarah is also a member of the COST Action: Collaboratively developed culturally appropriate and inclusive assessment tool for palliative care education, funded by the European Union.
Collaborations and networks
Through her work, Sarah has connected with many organisations:
Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS)
International Children’s Palliative Care Network
Sarah is currently a Visiting Professor at The Open University.
Publications
To read more of Sarah's research publications go to ResearchGate.