Dr. Bella Wheeler

Dr Bella Wheeler is a social scientist and qualitative researcher in the Department of Primary Care Health Sciences and member of the Medical Sociology and Health Experiences Research Group (MS&HERG). She holds a PhD in Social Work (University of Sussex, 2017) an M.Sc. in Social Research Methods (University of Sussex, 2014) and a B.A. (Hons.) in Cultures and Communities (University of Sussex, 2012).

Bella has undertaken research in various qualitative and mixed methods projects across the public, commercial and non-for-profit sectors. Her research focuses on public and community health with a particular interest in the social determinants of health, health inequalities and broader sociological understandings of health and illness. Bella has undertaken research, informed by social theory, looking at participatory approaches and cross sector partnerships and how these can be used in health and care improvement. She uses participatory and qualitative methods in her research and is passionate about the importance of user-voice as a route to informing better and more sustainable health and care policy and practice.

Bella is currently lead researcher for the qualitative work package of the NIHR funded mixed methods study: Waiting times in Emergency Departments: inequalities and impact on health outcomes (ED-WAITS) https://www.phc.ox.ac.uk/research/groups-and-centres/health-economics-research/ED-WAITS. In this project she is conducting ethnographic case studies of four English emergency departments.

Bella also joined the NIHR funded project: Access to General Practice: Innovation, impact and sustainable change (GP-SUS) https://www.phc.ox.ac.uk/research/groups-and-centres/health_experiences/gp-sus to support ethnographic data analysis and completion of this study looking at GP appointment systems.

Publications

Peer-reviewed publications

Wheeler, B., Robert, G., Williams, O., Lindenfalk, B., Mattias, K.  ‘The prospective application of Elinor Ostrom’s principles for Collaborative Group Working: lessons from the field’ [in preparation]

Wheeler, B., Williams, O., Meakin, B., Chambers, E., Beresford, P., O’Brien, S. & Robert, G. (2024) ‘Exploring Elinor Ostrom’s principles for collaborative group working within a user-led project: lessons from a collaboration between researchers and a user-led organisation’. Research Involvement and Engagement 10, 15. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/244904521/REIOstromSoL.pdf

Wheeler, B., Graham, T., Robert G., Grocott, P., Rose L., Anja, B., Donetto, S., Kent, R. (2023) ‘How have digital methods been used for the co-design of medical devices and healthcare interventions during COVID-19 and what are the ethical implications? a critical reflective view’ [in preparation]

Boddy, J.; Wheeler, B. (2021) ‘Recognition and Justice? Conceptualizing Support for Women Whose Children Are in Care or Adopted’. Societies 2020, 10, 96. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc10040096#

Wheeler, B. (2018) 'Non-prescribed spaces, creativity and narrative formation: A systems-based examination of a community art group exploring food poverty'. Ethnography and Education, 1- 18. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17457823.2017.1422132

Books

Janet Boddy with Fidelma Hanrahan and Bella Wheeler (2023) Thinking Through Family: Narratives of Care Experienced Lives. Bristol University Press Series Sociology of Children and Families. https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/thinking-through-family

Book review

The moral evaluation of Emergency Department patients: An ethnography of triage work in Romania By M. Wamsiedel, London: Lexington Books. 2023. pp. 198. ISBN: 978‐1‐66691‐654‐6 (hbk). Sociology and Health and Illness, 2024 1-2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9566.13768

Other publications

Wheeler, B., Robert, G., Williams, O., Beresford, P., Meakin, B., Chambers, E. (2023) Match Making in Research: Practical reflections on partnerships between user-led organisations and universities. https://shapingourlives.org.uk/report/match-making-in-research/

Boddy, Janet, Bowyer, Susannah, Godar, Rebecca, Hale, Chris, Kearney, James, Preston, Oli, Wheeler, Bella and Wilkinson, Julie (2020) Evaluation of pause. Department for Education. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fa2d5e2d3bf7f03b3ee4925/Pause_-_Sussex.pdf

Family Nurse Partnership National Unit & Dartington Service Design Lab (2020). FNP ADAPT: Using evidence, pragmatism and collaboration to change the FNP programme in England. Final Report. London, UK. https://www.dartington.org.uk/fnpadapt

Flint, P., Pettinger, C., Schoen, V., Segal, R., Taylor, R., Wheeler, B., Williams, C., (2017) Using the Arts for Food Research and Dialogue. Food Research Collaboration Policy Briefing. https://researchportal.plymouth.ac.uk/en/publications/using-the-arts-for-food-research-and-dialogue-2