Fiona Johnstone

Dr Fiona Johnstone is an Assistant Professor in Visual Medical Humanities at Durham University, affiliated with the School of Modern Languages and Cultures and the Institute for Medical Humanities. She holds a PhD in the History of Art from Birkbeck, University of London. Her research focuses on the intersections of art, medicine, and health, particularly in the context of HIV/AIDS representation and anti-portraiture. She leads the Visual and Material Lab under the Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities and has held a Wellcome Trust ISSF Fellowship (2018–2021), supporting projects like AIDS & Representation and Anti-Portraiture.

Johnstone's work includes curating exhibitions, editing The Polyphony, and directing initiatives like Confabulations: Art Practice, Art History, Critical Medical Humanities. Her peer-reviewed contributions span journals like Medical Humanities and Art History, and she serves on the Steering Group for the Northern Network for Medical Humanities Research.

Her recent publications include monographs on AIDS representation and edited volumes on anti-portraiture. She explores themes like collaborations in art and medicine, curatorial practices, and the role of visual culture in health discourse.