Professor Sara Ryan

My profile

Biography

I’m a Professor of Social Care with a portfolio of NIHR funded projects focusing on learning disabilities, autism, growing older, loneliness and the experiences of giving evidence at Fitness to Practice hearings. Further information about these projects can be found in the Learning Disabilities and Autism Research Cluster.

Academic and professional qualifications

  • 2012. Postgraduate Diploma in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of Oxford.
  • 2006. PhD, Health and Social Studies, University of Warwick. 
  • 2001. Sociology and Anthropology BSc Hons (First Class), Oxford Brookes University

Prizes and awards

Honorary Doctorate, Oxford Brookes University (2019)

Liberty ‘Close to Home’ Human Rights Award (2016)

Phil Strong Memorial Prize, British Sociological Association (2004)

Other distinctions

Patron, My Life My Choice, Oxfordshire self-advocacy charity (2018)

Editorial Board membership

Associate Editor, International Journal of Disability and Social Justice

Associate Editor, Disability and Society (2014-18)

Membership of professional associations

British Sociology Association
Royal Society of Medicine
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Interests and expertise

My research is underpinned by scholar activism and a commitment to research which makes a difference. I work with people with learning disabilities, self-advocates, autistic people, family carers, third sector organisations, health and social care professionals, human rights experts, journalists, politicians, economists and academics.  My main research interests are around learning disability, autism, experiences of exclusion and regulatory processes. In the last three years, I’ve generated nearly £4m of National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funding as Principal Investigator. Since 2015 I have been a Principal or Co-investigator on 21 successful research grants funded by the NIHR, ESRC, Department of Health, University of Oxford Vice Chancellor Diversity Fund, Baily Thomas Foundation and the Van Houten fund.

I have a strong interest in qualitative research and pushing the boundaries of what is conventionally considered to be robust research. I look forward to the point at which we drop the ‘co’s’ - co-research, co-production, co-design - and focus on researching together. 

Projects

Principal Investigator

Runswick-Cole K, Ryan S (joint PI), Croot L, Douglas, P, Hatton C. Tired of spinning plates: an exploration of the mental health experiences of adults and/or older carers of adults with learning disabilities. NIHR HS&DR. £365,165 1.10.22-30.11.24.

Wallace L, Ryan S (joint PI), Searle R, Cormack M, Ryan G, Haider S, Martin A, Hughes G, West R. Witnessing harm, holding to account: Patient, family and colleague experiences when directly involved in health and care regulator Fitness to Practise hearings when they have been harmed by a registered professional’s behaviour. NIHR HS&DR. £737,000. 1.7.21-1.1.25

Ryan S, Wallace L (Joint PI), Vseteckova J, Larkin M, Tilley E, Hatton C, Tuffrey-Wijne I, Docherty A, Boahen G, Chapman M, Vaid A, Bebbington P. Supporting family and professional carers to provide appropriate care and support for older learning disabled people with behaviours that challenge others. NIHR HS&DR. £896,911. 6.20-11.22

Ryan S, Forrester-Jones R, Locock L, Fitzsimmons B, McMurray S, Warren S, Mitchell R, James E, Fletcher J, Vaid A, Martin A, Barnett A. Bridging the translation gap between learning disability policy and practice in search of flourishing lives. NIHRSchool for Social Care Research.  £331,543. 1.4.20-1.1.23

Ryan S, Bebbington P, Martin A, Locock L, Barnett A, Ziebland S, Baxter K, Birks Y, Wilberforce M, Boneham H.  Understanding and using people’s experiences of social care to guide service improvements:could an effective and efficient co-design approach be translated from health to social care? NIHR HS&DR. £665,409. 1.4.20-1.2.23

Stepney M, Ryan S, Davidson S, Hinton L, Barnett A, Ziebland S, Powell J, Ma R, Stewart, J Roberts E. Meeting the transgender challenge: improving the experience of health services for gender questioning young people and their families. NIHR HS&DR.  £650,853. 1.1.19-30.6.21 (Joint PI with Melissa Stepney)

Ryan S, Moughton C. Disability Narratives. University of Oxford Vice Chancellor Diversity Fund.  £50,014. 1.4.16-1.12.16

Ryan S, Moughton C. Disability Narratives. Van Houten Fund.  £10,000. 1.4.16-1.12.16

Ryan S, Ziebland S. Getting it right for autistic patients. NIHR SPCR. £31,516. 1.10.15-1.9.16

Co-investigator

Locock L, Ryan S, Ellis L, O’Donnell,D, Ní Shé E, Kroll,T, Donnelly S. Choice, voice and change: developing networks for the involvement of people from seldom heard communities in England, Ireland and Scotland. ESRC-IRC UK/Ireland Networking Grants. £9995. 1.3.21-1.3.22

Ziebland S, Ryan, S, Chisholm A, Bostock J, Fiori S, Jobling H, Devenney K, Austin A, Barnett A, Sanders R. Formative Evaluation of a new resource for Social Care service users, teachers, practitioners and policy makers. NIHR School for Social Care Research. £209,653. 1.4.20-1.7.21.

Baxter K, Healey E, Overton L, Calline S, Barnett A, Ryan S. Finding and funding social care: a qualitative study of the experiences of self-funders. NIHR RfPB 2019-2020.£269,472. 1.4.19-1.8.20

Tilley L, Walmsley J, Ryan S, Ellis L, Tanaka H, Kasa-Hara C. Re: Establishing a UK-Japan inclusive research network in intellectual disability: Co-producing a roadmap for belonging, ESRC. £43,000. 1.4.19-1.12.19

Locock L, Rees S, Ryan S, Carrasqueiro L. Patient experience-based co-design in early intervention in psychosis services. NIHR CLAHRC. £183,606. 1.4.16-31.12.17

Williams V, Victor C, Ryan S, Kinnear D. Ageing and learning disability. Baily Thomas Foundation. £5,000. 1.4.16-1.10.16

Rees S, Mays N, Locock L, Ryan S, Carrasqueiro L. Understanding experiences of recruiting for and participating in genomics research, Department of Health. £497,378. 1.4.15-1.4.17

Daker-White G, Ziebland S, Campbell S, Bower P, Ryan S. Living with Multimorbidity: A Qualitative Study of Patients’ Experiences. NIHR SPCR Funding Round 8 (£30,545) and NIHR Greater Manchester Primary Care Patient Safety Translational Research Centre. £49,000.1.1.15-31.3.17

Dixon S, Hinton S, Ryan S. Co-designing research into the experiences of female genital mutilation. Green Templeton College. £4981. 1.5.15-1.8.15

Evans M, Feder G, Ryan S, Duxbury F, Salisbury H, Ziebland S, Williamson E, Agnew-Davies R, Gregory A, Fackrell M, Shaw G. Learning from women’s experiences: improving our understanding of the physical, psychological and emotional health impacts of domestic violence and abuse (DVA), help-seeking trajectories and outcomes. NIHR RfPB. £316,598. 1.9.14-31.8.16

Ziebland S, Moss C, Browne F, McPherson T, Shaw G, Kempton J, Hunt K, Ryan S, Raisanen U. SKINS: an online resource for young people with common skin problems. NIHR RfPB. £349,498. 1.9.14-28.2.17

Teaching

I am currently supervising several PhD students and am very open to speaking to anyone who is considering a PhD in the areas of learning disability, autism and patient safety.

Supervision

Michele Sokol. Public and Patient Voices as Lived Evidence: a study in integrating the public and patient voice in regulatory fitness to practice processes. (Open University)

Amelia Talbot. Experiences of Medication Resistant Depression. (Oxford University)

Sara Rotenberg. Including Persons with Disabilities in Health Systems: Measuring Disparities and Improving Outcomes. (Oxford University)

Zoe Cox. Disclosing stigmatized forms of victimhood amongst professional peers within services addressing violence against women and girls

Rob Alcock. ‘To have their voices heard’? A realist study of independent advocacy under the Care Act 2014

Research outputs

Press and media

I have considerable media experience and have been interviewed live on the R4 Today programme, You and Yours, 5 Live News, Sky News, World at One, ITV News and BBC Breakfast. I am asked to comment on issues around learning disability, health and service provision. I have appeared on Newsnight and I was a panel member in a round table discussion about inquests and Prevention of Future Deaths reports on Channel 5 News. In 2019, my scholar activism was featured on an episode of The Idea, BBC Radio Wales. This involved a recording of an academic presentation I gave in Cardiff in March 2019 and an interview with the programme presenter, Catrin Nye.

I have been invited to write for various media including the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/profile/sara-ryan, Community Care and Open Democracy https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/author/sara-ryan-ryan/.  My blog mydaftlife.com has generated over 1.1 million views, 350,000 visitors and over 5000 comments since 2011. I have a twitter following of over 13,000 people.

I was a guest panelist on an NBC COVID-19 Podcast discussing learning disability and the pandemic. 19.5.2020

Ryan S. After scandals like Winterbourne View, why is basic decency still remarkable? 27.10.20.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/oct/27/after-scandals-like-winterbourne-view-why-is-basic-decency-still-remarkable

Wild A. Ryan S, Woodin S. Hidden in Plain Sight: COVID-19, inequality and interdependency. 14.5.20 https://es.britsoc.co.uk/hidden-in-plain-sight-covid-19-inequality-and-interdependency/

Ryan S. Years after my son died in NHS care, state sanctioned torture continues. Guardian. 23.5.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/23/connor-sparrowhawk-torture-care-restraint-segregation

Ryan S. Family carers, unsung heroes in pictures. Guardian. 11.6.19

https://www.theguardian.com/society/gallery/2019/jun/11/family-carers-unsung-heroes-in-pictures

Ryan S. LeDerless and indifferent. Community Care. 29.5.18

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2018/05/29/leder-less-indifferent/

Ryan S. My son died needlessly. Anger spurred me into action. Guardian. 11.10.17

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/11/connor-sparrowhawk-justice-laughing-boy-death-campaign

Ryan S. Ministry of Justice says you don’t need a lawyer at an inquest. Trust the State. Open Democracy. 7.1.15 https://www.opendemocracy.net/shinealight/sara-ryan/ministry-of-justice-says-you-don-t-need-lawyer-at-inquest-trust-state