Mary is a Social Scientist interested in understanding the interplay between society and human health issues. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre at the University of Hull and University of York. Her research is exploring experiences and perceptions of  social connectedness and  social identity  among adults living with advanced illness in UK.  Prior to her PhD, Mary worked as a Research Assistant on a number of research projects in Sub-Saharan Africa on  topics of research ethics, HIV/AIDS and malnutrition.