Suhad Daher-Nashif

Suhad is lecturer and researcher in medical sociology, the anthropology of health, and global healthcare. With an academic foundation in allied health sciences, she completed her PhD in sociology and anthropology and currently pursuing her second MSc in clinical education. Her interdisciplinary background is enriched by cross-continental scholarly experience beginning with ethnographic research on sociopolitical inscriptions over the dead body within the Palestinian forensic medicine system. Since then, she critically investigates the intersections of biomedicine, culture and politics, with a particular focus on medical education, dementia, and postmortem practices, mainly among the precariat. 

Suhad integrates innovative teaching with a robust research portfolio. She has designed and led UG and PG modules on the sociology of health, qualitative and mixed methods research, healthcare management, governance, and behavioural health. Her current funded research projects examine cadaveric dissection, decision-making in multiethnic ICUs, gendered experiences of adversity and mental health, and the socioreligious dimensions of dementia care across diverse faith groups. She is currently builds the seeds for a project that investigates the destruction and reconstruction of medical education in conflict and war zones. 

Suhad’s research aligns closely with CHaI’s focus examining how sociocultural, religious, and political contexts shape illness experiences, caregiving, and healthcare delivery. In her work, she emphasises the importance of analytically distinguishing culture from religion, noting that conflating the two has often led researchers to treat cultures as homogeneous entities. Instead, she highlights how diverse religious subgroups within cultural contexts significantly influence health literacy, help-seeking behaviours, and approaches to health management.

Through CHaI, she seeks to engage in dialogue with interdisciplinary scholars who share a commitment to understanding health and illness as culturally situated. She looks forward to contributing insights from her research in West Asia (the Arab region) and Muslim communities, while also drawing inspiration from the work of others to enrich her comparative and cross-socioreligious perspective. Ultimately, her aim is to foster collaborations that advance holistically informed healthcare practices and policies.

Email: s.d.daher-nashif@keele.ac.uk

Affiliation: Keele University, United Kingdom