Victoria L Bates

Dr. Victoria L Bates is an Associate Professor in Modern Medical History at the Department of History (Historical Studies), University of Bristol. She holds a BA from Nottingham, MA and PhD from Exeter. Her work bridges history, medical humanities, and sensory studies with a focus on the historical experience of healthcare environments.

Her educational background includes:

• BA from University of Nottingham
• MA from University of Exeter
• PhD from University of Exeter

Dr. Bates specializes in the sensory history of hospitals, particularly focusing on how people have experienced NHS hospitals through time. Her UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project "Sensing Spaces of Healthcare: Rethinking the NHS Hospital" (2020-27) creates the first sensory history of 20th and 21st century hospitals. She also explores medico-legal history, particularly changes in the age of sexual consent in the 19th century, and the relationship between arts and healthcare, including how creative practices can humanize medical settings. Her work is highly interdisciplinary, connecting historical research with contemporary healthcare design and practice.

Her publication portfolio shows a consistent focus on sensory approaches to medical history, with particular attention to color, sound, and spatial experience in healthcare environments. Recent works examine the politics of birth experiences, sensory memory in hospital settings, and the historical relationship between environmental contexts and health outcomes.

Her scientific achievements include:

• Medical Humanities Award for Leadership from AHRC/Wellcome Trust (2020)
• Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (2021)
• Membership on SSHM Executive Committee (2013)

Dr. Bates has led numerous research projects, including Wellcome-Trust funded networks on sensory healthcare environments and the intersections between medical and environmental humanities. She collaborates internationally with institutions including Concordia University and Maastricht University. Her public engagement includes media appearances, public talks, and collaborations with creative industries to translate historical insights into contemporary healthcare design.

She leads the "Sensing Spaces of Healthcare" research group, which brings together historians, architects, designers, and healthcare professionals to rethink hospital environments through historical sensory perspectives.