Colleges
Collaborators
DPhil Supervision
I am interested in supervising DPhil (PhD) students working on gender and health.
I am happy for potential students to get in touch to discuss potential projects.
Dr Tori Ford
MPhil (Dist), BA (Hons), DPhil
Senior Researcher
- Mildred Blaxter Research Fellow, Foundation for Sociology of Health & Illness Early Career Research Fellow, Skoll Centre Saïd Business School
- Founder of Medical Herstory
Biography
Tori Ford is a Senior Researcher interested in gender, health, and infections.
She holds a DPhil in Primary Care Health Sciences from the University of Oxford and an MPhil in Health, Medicine, and Society from the University of Cambridge. Her work advancing gender health equity was recognised with the 2026 Vice-Chancellor Award for Research Engagement.
She is currently PI on projects examining:
1. At-home vaginal microbiome test kits
2. DIY healthcare and self-diagnostics
3. Sensorial and material approaches to embodiment research
Her previous work includes completing an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship examining experiences with recurrent vulvovaginal thrush in primary care. This project resulted in a HEXI online resource, which is now included in the NHS Quality Improvement Programme (GIRFT), cited in parliamentary reports, and Tori now sits on the BASHH clinical guideline writing committee.
Alongside her academic work, Tori is also the founder of Medical Herstory, an international social impact organisation on a mission to eliminate sexism, shame, and stigma from health experiences. Her work advancing lived experience research has been celebrated with a Rising Star Champion Award, the University of Oxford Paving the Way Award, and being named a Top 25 Women of Influence. Her words have been featured in Hunger Magazine, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan.
Additional Roles
Vice-Chair DIPEx International (Database of Individual Patient Experiences)
Board Member BSSVD (British Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease)
Mentor for OxWest (Oxford Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology) and BSA (British Sociology Association)
Supervisor on the MSc in Digital Health
Supervision requests
Tori is happy to be contacted about supervising MSc and DPhil projects.
Interests:
Gender, sexuality, social justice, diagnostics, infections, microbiological imaginaries, leaky bodies, sexual health, creative methods, arts-based research, PPI, community engagement