What counts as knowledge? A research journey to empowered community research
November 29, 2023
Speaker: Dr. Sara Macdonald
Professor, Director of Innovation, Engagement and Enterprise (General Practice & Primary Care), University of Glasgow
Knowledge hierarchies underpin research. Biomedical research and what counts as knowledge has been contested over time and across disciplines. As a social scientist operating in a largely biomedical context, Dr. Macdonald has witnessed an evolution in attitudes towards and value attached to lay knowledge. Drawing on examples from her own research, she will share reflections on this transformation and ask where next for lay knowledge.
Dr. Sara Macdonald is a sociologist who joined General Practice and Primary Care at the University of Glasgow as a Research Fellow in 2002. She worked in a number of academic and research posts, all of which were related to health and health service research. Between 2002 and 2010, Dr. Macdonald undertook a series of research posts focusing on the management of depression in primary care and primary care and cancer. She secured the position of non-clinical lecturer in primary care in 2010 and since her appointment has been working on building a portfolio of research centring on candidacy.
