Suze Berkhout

Suze Berkhout is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, with a non-budgetary cross-appointment. Her work bridges Science and Technology Studies (STS), Philosophy of Science, and Philosophy of Medicine. She focuses on feminist philosophy, disability studies, and healthcare ethics, particularly examining intersections of social identity, agency, and biomedical practices. Her research explores themes like treatment resistance in mental health, embodied experiences in healthcare, and equity in medical care access for marginalized groups.

Key areas of investigation include:

• Gender inequity in healthcare outcomes
• Ethics of placebo/nocebo effects in clinical trials
• Qualitative methodologies in liver transplantation studies
• Socio-political dimensions of first-episode psychosis care
• Healthcare worker mental health during pandemics

Her recent work analyzes embodied experiences through narrative interviews and digital storytelling, emphasizing participatory approaches in mental health education. Berkhout critiques Cartesian frameworks in medical practice and advocates for intersectional, crip-informed perspectives in healthcare policy.

Notable projects include:

• Co-producing psychiatric education with service users
• Evaluating post-stroke care through patient-reported outcomes
• Examining temporal dynamics in transplantation care
• Investigating stigma in reproductive healthcare access for individuals with psychosis

Her scholarship frequently engages with feminist bioethics, emphasizing how structural inequities shape healthcare experiences and outcomes. Berkhout's interdisciplinary methodological innovations combine ethnography, arts-based practices, and critical theory to reimagine healthcare systems.