Alison Pilnick

Professor Alison Pilnick is a leading academic in the sociology of health and illness, currently holding the title of Professor of Language, Health and Society at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). She transitioned to MMU in 2023 from the University of Nottingham, where she was Professor of Language, Medicine and Society. Her career began in pharmacy before pivoting to sociology with Department of Health-funded studies. She has held significant editorial roles, including with Sociology of Health and Illness and Social Science and Medicine.

Her research focuses on healthcare communication, particularly using conversation analysis to study interactions between practitioners and patients. Key areas include dementia care communication, patient-centered care, and improving communication training through methods like Conversation Analysis-Based Simulation (CABS). She has secured funding from the British Academy, ESRC, and NIHR, among others.

Pilnick has been recognized with awards such as the Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness Book Prize (2023) and a British Academy Senior Research Fellowship (2020–2022). She supervises PhD students in healthcare-related areas and has mentored over 30 students. Her current projects include the VOICE 2 initiative on dementia care and studies on healthcare communication in multicultural settings.

Her academic contributions span over 100 publications, including monographs, journal articles, and chapters, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach to healthcare sociology. She is an active member of professional bodies like the Academy of Social Sciences and the American Sociological Association.