Dr Emily Lunn
Research Associate
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Profile
Biography
I am a qualitative researcher with experience in cancer inequalities and community-engaged approaches to health. I completed my PhD at Hull York Medical School, where I examined how women in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities negotiate preventive healthcare. My work involves collaboration with Cancer Alliances, NHS screening services and VCSE partners to support applied research and knowledge exchange.
My approach to research is informed by lived experience of cancer, surgical menopause, neurodivergence, caring responsibilities within my family and the gendered labour that shapes women’s everyday health and wellbeing. These experiences, together with my involvement in cancer advocacy and community networks, strengthen my commitment to research that reflects lived realities and acknowledges the social conditions influencing engagement with healthcare.
I developed a Snakes and Ladders to Attending Breast Screening game in collaboration with an artist and community partners. The game is used across Yorkshire and in national pilots to facilitate discussion about barriers to breast screening and to support training for practitioners and volunteers. I have also contributed to the co-production of a cervical screening awareness video as part of a community, arts and research project.
I received the Postgraduate Researcher of the Year Award at Hull York Medical School in 2025.
Research
Overview
PhD Medical Sciences, Hull York Medial School
BA (Hons) Sociology & Social Policy, University of Sheffield
My research interests include cancer inequalities, screening behaviours, early diagnosis and the experiences of marginalised populations. My PhD applied a sociological and feminist lens, drawing on intersectionality, candidacy, social capital and embodiment to analyse the nuance in women’s breast screening decisions. The study demonstrated that attending breast screening is shaped by trust, competing responsibilities and wider social conditions, rather than simply the receipt of an invitation.
I am currently employed on a Yorkshire Cancer Research project examining early cancer diagnosis and screening among Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities in Yorkshire. This work involves qualitative fieldwork in collaboration with VCSE partners to understand the barriers that make early diagnosis and engagement with screening more difficult for GRT communities. My wider interests include intersectional approaches to inequality, qualitative methodology and the development of tools that support more equitable access to early diagnosis.
Additional academic activities include supervising undergraduate dissertations, mentoring students and contributing to engagement and training across academic and community settings.