Professor Lorraine Culley

Lorraine Culley is a sociologist by background and a graduate of the Universities of Liverpool (BA, PhD) and London (MA). Her research is focused on social and political aspects of health and healthcare, with a particular emphasis on ethnic and gender inequalities, chronic conditions, social aspects of infertility, reproductive technologies and endometriosis.

Lorraine has particular expertise in qualitative methodologies and in research which explores user perspectives of health and healthcare.

She has held grants from several major funders, including the NIHR and the ESRC. Her work includes over 80 publications and has featured in programmes on BBC World TV, BBC Radio 4, 5 Live, and Asian Network. 

Lorraine has taught courses on sociological aspects of diversity and the sociology of health and illness on a wide range of programmes at DMU and has been a course leader at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her academic management experience includes several years as head of the Health Studies Division and she has held a number of faculty and university level appointments.

Lorraine is on the editorial board of the Journal of Research in Nursing.  She is a member of the Children’s Health Forum of the South Asian Health Foundation.

• Centre for Reproduction Research
• Health Policy Research Unit

• Social aspects of infertility and reproductive technologies.
• Diversity, health and healthcare (gender and ethnicity).
• Endometriosis.
• User perspectives on health/care.
• Chronic Illness.
• Qualitative research methods.

• BA (Hons) Social Studies University of Liverpool
• MA (Area Studies) University of London
• PhD Sociology University of Liverpool

 Recent keynotes and plenaries:

• Fertility preservation in the context of delayed childbearing. The Who and Why of ‘social egg freezing’.  Keynote presentation to the Fertility Society of Australia, Annual Conference, Adelaide, Australia, October 2017.
• Marginalised reproduction and culturally sensitive care. Psychosocial Session. Invited keynote. Fertility Society of Australia Annual Conference, Adelaide, Australia, October 2017.
•  In/fertility and Uncertainty: the impact of endometriosis on couple relationships. Keynote. Australia and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association and Fertility Nurses of Australia Joint Conference. Adelaide, Australia, October 2017.

Consultancy can be provided in the following areas:

• Social aspects of infertility and assisted conception
• Cross border reproductive care
• Involving users in research
• Qualitative methods in health research
• Working with minority ethnic communities

• Egg donation: Egg Donation in the UK, Belgium and Spain: an interdisciplinary study. Hudson (PI) with Culley, Herbrand, Pennings, Provoost, Pavone. ESRC.  £494,350. April 2017-March 2020. Grant ref. ES/N010604/1.

• Factors influencing the utilisation of free-standing and alongside midwifery units in England: A Mixed Methods Research Study. 

  Dec 2015 – 2018, NIHR HS&DR Project: 14/04/28 £477,277. 

  Chief investigator: Dr Denis Walsh; Co-investigators: Dr Simon Bishop (University of Nottingham), Emeritus Professor Lorraine Culley (De Montfort University), Dr Miranda Dodwell (City University London), Professor Christine McCourt (City University London), Professor Helen Spiby (University of Nottingham), Professor James Thornton (University of Nottingham), Ms Sonia Byers (North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust), Dr Jane Wilkinson (NHS West Cheshire CCG), Mrs Lynne Pacanowski (Guys & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust).

• Nurture Early for Optimal Nutrition (NEON) study Jan 2015 – 2019; Principal investigator: Professor Monica Lakhanpaul, University College London
  Partners and collaborators involved: University College London; London Borough of Tower Hamlets; The Parent and Family Support Services in Tower Hamlets; UCL Partners; British Heart Foundation and Newcastle University.

•  Endometriosis: Improving the well-being of couples (Endopart) Culley (PI), Mitchell, Hudson, Denny, Raine-Fenning (University of Nottingham). ESRC ES/J003662/1. 2012-13.

• Embedding structured self management education programmes for Type 2 diabetes in a multi-ethnic primary care setting. NIHR Programme Development Grant. Davies (PI), Brennan, Baker, Carey, Culley, Daly, Elster, Gray Johnson, Khunti, Mather, Patel, Speight, Sturt. 2012-13.
• Research in Children’s Health. Culley, Lakhanpaul, Hudson. University of Leicester/University College London 2011-2012.
• Transnational Reproduction an exploratory study of UK residents who travel abroad for fertility treatment (Transrep):. Culley (PI), Hudson, Pacey, Blyth, Norton, ESRC RES 000-22-3390. 2009-2011. Collaboration with Universities of Sheffield, Swansea, Huddersfield. See www.transrep.co.uk.
• Endometriosis and Cultural Diversity (Endocul): improving services for minority ethnic women. Denny, Culley, Papadopoulos, Mann. Department of Health, Research for Patient Benefit Programme. 2007-10. www.endocul.co.uk. Collaboration with Birmingham City and Middlesex Universities, Birmingham Women’s Hospital.
• Educational experiences of young people with sickle cell disease. ESRC RES 000-23-1486. Dyson (PI), Culley, Atkin, Demaine. 2006-2011. Collaboration with Universities of York and Loughborough.
• Contextualising patient-centre professionalism in nursing practice: consulting with patients, professionals and stakeholders. Rapport, Doel, Culley, Mooney, Jones, Evans, Maggs, Hutchings. GNC Trust. CI 2009-2010 Collaboration with University of Swansea.
• Management and Interventions for Asthma in South Asian Children. NIHR Health Services Research 2009-2012 Lakhanpaul, Culley, Johnson, McFeeters, Robertson, Bird. Wilson. Collaboration with University of Leicester and Leicester City PCT.
• Asthma and South Asian Children; Systematic Review. Asthma UK 2010-2011. Lakhanpaul, Culley, Johnson, McFeeters, Robertson, Bird. Collaboration with University of Leicester and Leicester City PCT.
• Department of Health, Pacesetters Programme. Evaluation for the East Midlands Region. Johnson, Culley, Fleming 2008-2009. Collaboration with Leicester PCT and Department of Health.
• Public Perceptions of Gamete Donation in British South Asian Communities (GAMDON). ESRC. 20005-6. Lorraine Culley (PI), Johnson, Rapport, Bharadwaj. RES-160-25-0044. (please link title to http://www.esrc.ac.uk/my-esrc/grants/RES-160-25-0044/read)

• Editorial Board Reproductive Biomedicine and Society
• Editorial Board, Journal of Research in Nursing
• ESRC Peer Review College
• ESRC Rapporteur End of Award Reports
• Reviewer of bids for a wide range of organisations including national charities (eg Wellcome Trust, Diabetes UK, Cancer UK ); Research Councils (ESRC, MRC) and the National Institute for Health Research – Health Services Research, Service Delivery and Organisation and Research for Patient Benefit ProgrammesAssessor for external Professorial and Readership appointments
• Reviewer for international journals including:

1. Social Science and Medicine
2. British Medical Journal
3. Journal of Advanced Nursing
4. Ethnicity and Health
5. Qualitative Health Research
6. Journal of Research in Nursing
7. Human Fertility
8. Human Reproduction
9. Reproductive Health Matters
10. Journal of Medical Humanities
11. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
12. Diversity in Health and Care.