Karl Atkin
Professor

Profile

Biography

Having held academic positions at the Universities of Bradford and Leeds, I have worked at the University of York for over 20 years. I am an elected Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences (FAcSS).

My interests lie in the sociology of health and illness and particularly the experience of long-standing chronic conditions, which includes the sociology of disability.  My work specifically focuses on the ways individuals negotiate illness and care, and how this lived experience connects to intersectionality.

I have served on several commissioning panels (National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), Economic and Social Research Council and National Lottery Fund).  I am currently a member of the NIHR Post-Doctoral Fellowship Panel.

Active collaboration with policy makers, practitioners and patients/carers is an important aspect of my work.  In addition to serving as a trustee for several local voluntary organisations, I am scientific advisor to the Sickle Cell Society.   For ten years I was Chair of Public Outreach for the NHS National Screening Committee (Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia) and served as one of the managing editors of ‘Standards of Care for Adults with Sickle Cell Disease’ (2018).  I was co-editor of Understanding Race and Ethnicity (Policy Press, 2021) and have contributed to the Handbook on Racism, Ethnicity and Health (Edward Elgar, 2027).  The Politics of Sickle Cell and Thalassemia (Open University Press), written with Elizabeth Anionwu and first published in 2001, remains in print, as does Carers Perceived (written with Julia Twigg and published in 1994 by Open University Press).

Departmental roles

Director of Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029 (Sociology)

University roles

• Chair of University Clinical Trials Sponsorship Committee
• Member of University REF Strategy Group

Research

Overview

I have undertaken research exploring the social consequences of a range of different conditions.  This includes a particular interest in sickle cell and thalassaemia disorders.  Driven by a commitment to inclusive methods able to address intersectional inequalities, much of my research explores how care is delivered and organised, including in global settings, such as India, Ghana and China.  I have received funding from a diverse range of funding panels, such as the Economic and Social Research Council, National Institute of Health Research, National Lottery Fund, Cancer Research UK, Yorkshire Cancer Research and NHS England.

Current projects include exploring ways to improve cancer screening among Traveller, Gypsy and Roma communities; evaluating patient and clinical experiences of capsule colon colposcopy; and researching the experiences of thalidomide survivors as they age. I have also explored the efficacy of reproductive care for women with cerebral palsy; ways of enhancing support to migrants who have sickle cell disorders; and the provision of care of children and young adults navigating their gender identity.

Publications

Selected publications

My PURE webpage provides a more extensive list of outputs and some recent publications include:

• Berghs, M., Atkin, K.M., & Greene, A.-M. (2026). Quietism, Disablism and Gender-Based Discriminations in the Workplace: Experiences of Black Disabled Women. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Poku, B., Nicholls, N., Pilnick., A, Atkin, K.M., Olutayo, G., Olowofoyeku, D. A., Olowofoyeku, N.A. & Kawonga, T. (2026), 'Connecting care: Understanding the relational dimensions of supporting migrant children and young people living with sickle cell disease', Social Science & Medicine, 400, 119268. 
• Dolezal, L., Atkin, K.M., Brown, N., Metsäketo, S., Nettleton, S. & Robins, D.P. (2026), 'Striving for Presence on a Hospital Ward: Phenomenology and Re-Embodiment for a Nurse-Operated Telepresence Robot', Science, Technology and Human Values. 
• Shah, S., Atkin, K.M., Spiby, H., Blackett, T. & Trusson, D. (2026), 'Choices and Support on the Maternity Journey in the UK: Voices from Women with Cerebral Palsy', International Journal of Disability and Social Justice. 
• Jackson-Taylor, C. & Atkin, K.M. (2025), 'Negotiated care practices: The experiences of children who question their gender, their parents and the healthcare professionals who support them', Social Science & Medicine, 365, 117619. 
• Atkin, K.M. (2025), Rethinking Du Bois’s “Colour Line”: Climate Change, Environmental Racism and Health in the United Kingdom. in J Jayawickrama, A Chakraborty & Y Zhang (eds), Climate Change, Population Health and Island States: Socio-Cultural Dimensions. London: Routledge. 
• Atkin, K.M. & Jackson-Taylor, C. (2025), 'Negotiating care: the biographical narratives of young adults who questioned their gender when younger', Sociology of Health and Illness, 47(1), e13877. 
• Atkin, K.M., Berghs, M. & Chattoo, S. (2023), 'Representing disabling experiences: Rethinking quality of life when evaluating public health interventions', Politics & Policy, 15, (1), 41-58. 

Teaching

Overview

Having taught a variety of different undergraduate and post-graduate modules, I currently lead the undergraduate module, Health and Illness and contribute to Global Justice, Health and Wellbeing.

I find supervising dissertations and providing mentorship to undergraduate students particularly rewarding. I am committed to including a range of diverse epistemic voices, along with ensuring my research activities inform the teaching I do.

Supervision

As an experienced PhD supervisor, with a broad range of research interests, I welcome applications from prospective students, interested in qualitative methodologies that explore care in intersectional contexts.  I am especially keen to supervise research exploring the experience of long standing chronic and disabling conditions, including the role of family care and more formal support networks.  My recent students have focused on narrative explorations of cerebral palsy; women’s lived experiences of POTS; how agricultural farming communities in Sri Lanka mitigate Climate Change; disability and the creative industries; the value of follow-up scans for children with brain tumours; and fathers’ experience of caring for children with life-limiting conditions.

External Activity

Memberships

2021: National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Academy and Research Foundation: Artificial intelligence and Racial and Ethnic Inequalities in Health and Care

2021: DHSC/UKRI Global Effort on COVID-19 Health Research Funding Panel

2016 - ongoing: National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Academy: Advanced Fellowships Panel

2018 - onging: Member of Public Health England Advisory Board: Parental involvement in antenatal screening.

2010 - 2016: National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), Public Health Research Board

2005 - 2012: Chair of Public Outreach sub-committee, National Screening Committee (NHS) for Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia

Editorial duties

2014 - ongoing: Managing Editor, Standards of Care for Adults with Sickle Cell Disease (Department of Health/Sickle Cell Society)

2009 - 2015 Managing Editor, Ethnicity and Health (Routledge)