Dr David Wainwright is a Sociologist who studies the connections between work, health and wellbeing, with particular reference to welfare and health care policy. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Department for Health, University of Bath where he convenes the cross-faculty Work, Health and Wellbeing Research Group, and is the Director of Studies for the Professional Doctorate in Health programmes.

A key research interest lies in the extent to which problems at work have become medicalised through the discourse of work stress. Other research interests include the management of medically unexplained illnesses; extending working life and psycho-social influences on resilience and illness behaviour.

Before moving to the University of Bath, Dr Wainwright worked at the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research at the University of Kent. He has also worked in the Social Medicine Department at the University of Bristol as a member of the Medical Research Council’s Health Services Research Collaboration.

Research interests

• Work, health & wellbeing
• Extending working life & pension reform
• Health care policy
• Psycho-social influences on illness behaviour

Current research projects

• Exploring the use of behaviour change interventions in extending working life. Funded by Department for Work and Pensions

Currently supervising doctoral research projects on:

• Sickness certification for chronic pain
• The development of a health and wellbeing strategy for Bristol Council
• The UK Safer Patient Network; A Social Movement for Organisational Change?
• Understanding interpretative approaches to community-based support: health and well-being outcomes for adults with intellectual disabilities in supported living environments.
• The factors that affect homeless people’s health seeking behaviour.
• Change and Containment’- a study to explore the emotional dynamics of leading change in Irish health service organisations
• Resilience or convenience: Exploratory investigation into consultations and self-care for infections related minor ailments in primary care
• Phenomenological Description of the Experiences of Physiotherapists
• Patients’ and carers’ experiences in accessing district nursing services