Death, dying and bereavement has been one of our major research and teaching themes for over twenty years. The synergy between research and teaching has been secured through vibrant student recruitment to the Death and dying course (K260) as well as securing research funding in this area. Work covers: end-of-life care; death, including all forms of reproductive and neonatal loss; bereavement and memorialisation and focuses on both theoretical and practice-related dimensions. Examples of research include the way in which end-of-life care needs of older people in care homes are met and how care home staff can develop palliative care skills; the way that a good death is understood in adults; the impact of stillbirth and neonatal death on parents and how the care of dead bodies in hospital mortuaries is translated into dirty work and the impact of this upon professional status.
Current and recent research projects
In 2010 the British Academy funded an ethnographic study into the role of anatomical pathology technologists. Work was based in the mortuary of a large teaching hospital incorporating all mortuary work and the team into bereavement care services. Dissemination has begun with Carol Komaromy (Open University) and Kate Woodthorpe (Bath University) presenting their report Investigating mortuary services in hospital settings at the Anatomical Association's annual conference in 2010.
In 2011 Dr Sam Murphy convened the 10th Annual British Sociological Association Human Reproduction Study Group Conference. Among the papers was a contribution by Dr Carol Komaromy on the role of mortuary staff in the management of stillbirth and neonatal death.
Open University researhers have developed an iTunes audio 'At a loss', providing accounts from women and parents on stillbirth and neonatal death. Individuals talk about their decisions on the role of post-mortem and the views of mortuary staff and their role in bereavement support are incorporated.
A co-edited book exploring experiences of pregnancy loss, 'Understanding Reproductive Loss' will be published later this year. It will be edited by Dr Sarah Earle and Dr Carol Komaromy from the Open University Faculty of Health and Social Care and Linda Layne, Hale Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at Princeton University.
During 2012 the Death, dying and bereavement researchers will be running workshops on neonatal death with mothers and parents as well as neonatal and mortuary staff to capture their perspectives and develop a research strategy around this area of study.
In 2013 the 11th Death, Dying and Disposal International Conference will be hosted by members of the Death, dying and bereavement group at the Open University. This is a multidisciplinary conference that attracts key academics and researchers in all aspects of death, dying and disposal. The conference theme will be 'where theory meets practice'.
Potential research projects
We’re actively looking for more postgraduate students to join us. The death and dying research team welcomes multi-method approaches to projects – particularly ethnographic methods with a theoretical focus on medical sociology. For further information on potential research projects, supervisors and applying to study please see our Death, dying and bereavement page within the Open University Research Degrees Prospectus.