Stephen E Mawdsley

Dr. Stephen E Mawdsley serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History (Historical Studies) within the School of Humanities at the University of Bristol. His academic career combines significant research contributions with teaching excellence and administrative leadership, currently holding the position of School of Humanities International Director (2025-present) and previously serving as Postgraduate Taught Officer (2019-2023) and interim Faculty of Arts Graduate Dean (2022).

Dr. Mawdsley's educational background includes a PhD from the University of Cambridge (Cantab.), an MA from the University of Alberta (Alta.), and a BA (Hons) from the University of Alberta. He is recognized as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), affirming his commitment to pedagogical excellence.

As a social historian specializing in modern American medicine, public health and disability, Dr. Mawdsley's research program centers on three interconnected areas: the history of poliomyelitis (examining race relations, reactions to early vaccines, and medical experimentation on children); the history of Jamaica Ginger Paralysis in 1930s America (investigating health consequences of adulterated patent medicines, food and drug regulation, and disability activism); and the history of fume events in commercial aviation (studying cabin air contamination and its implications for public and occupational health). His approach consistently reveals how medical interventions intersect with social structures, particularly regarding race, class, and disability.

Dr. Mawdsley's scholarly trajectory demonstrates sustained productivity with publications spanning from 2025 back to 2010. His work reveals a consistent focus on the politics of medical interventions, particularly how marginalized communities experience and respond to public health challenges. The research combines rigorous archival work with contemporary relevance, connecting historical medical controversies to ongoing debates about health equity, regulation, and scientific credibility.

• Jonathan Hart Prize (2009)
• Sir James Lougheed Award of Distinction (2010)
• H.N. Segall Prize (2011)

Dr. Mawdsley actively supervises graduate research in the history of the United States since 1865, the history of public health and medicine, and disability history. He convenes the American History Graduate Workshop, fostering scholarly exchange among emerging historians. His research has been supported by projects such as 'The Jake Walk Blues: Intoxicants, Disability and Stigma in America' (2016-2022), demonstrating sustained external funding. Within the university community, he contributes through teaching diverse courses including 'Health on the Colour Line: Race and Medicine in America,' 'Disease, Deviance and Disability in Modern Medicine,' and 'Race in America,' shaping critical perspectives on the intersections of medicine, society, and identity.