Staff Spotlight: Dr Anna Stenning, Visiting Researcher in Medical Humanities
This month, we’re highlighting the work of Dr Anna Stenning, Visiting Researcher in Medical Humanities. With a background spanning poetry, literature and neurodiversity studies, Anna brings a unique perspective to the field of Medical Humanities. We caught up with her to learn more about her role, current research, and life beyond academia.
Welcome to the Faculty of Medicine! Could you tell us about your role?
My background is in Medical Humanities, which explores patient experiences of illness and health, and considers how literature and the arts can foster more meaningful encounters between doctors and patients.
My research focuses on neurodiversity – specifically, how neurodivergent people tell the story of their lives. These stories often challenge traditional medical frameworks that pathologise difference. I’m particularly interested in the person behind the diagnosis.
My recent books include Narrating the Many Autisms: Identity, Agency, Mattering and Critical Neurodiversity Studies: Divergent Textualities in Literature and Culture .
As a visiting researcher, I’m hoping to develop a grant proposal based at the University of Southampton, as well as contributing to the Medical Education programme. Earlier this year, I taught a session on poetry inspired by art, encouraging close sensory observation and interpretation. Some students are keen writers and readers, while others start out unsure why they’re studying Medical Humanities, though they soon realise its value for their future medical practice.
What do you enjoy most about this role?
The people. My flexible role has allowed me to meet colleagues across the University who share similar research interests. Many academics are working on autism and co-occurring conditions, and everyone has been incredibly welcoming. These connections are important for shaping future projects and collaborations.
I’m currently applying for a Wellcome Career Development Award, building on earlier work funded through a Wellcome Early Career Award and postdoctoral research at the University of Leeds.
What’s the biggest challenge?
Honestly, the distance! I don’t live close to campus, so I can’t just pop in for a coffee and a chat.
Can you tell us a bit about your career journey so far?
I completed my PhD at the University of Worcester, where I studied the Dymock Poets, a group based in Gloucestershire. That project focused on environmental literature, which led me to explore how neurodivergent writers describe their experiences of the natural world.
Writers like Chris Packham and Greta Thunberg are great examples of this – their environmentalism is often shaped by neurodivergence. I’m interested how they present it not just as a diagnosis but as a way of being in the world, bringing its own strengths and perspectives.
This interest led to my Wellcome-funded project Remembering What Really Matters: Nature, Culture and Autism at Leeds, which examined how literature and the arts can support wellbeing among autistic people. My current research continues this work, looking at narratives of neurodivergence alongside co-occurring physical conditions such as joint hypermobility and chronic fatigue.
Before joining Southampton, I worked at the University of Durham in the Narrative Practices Lab , which explores how storytelling can bridge research across biomedical sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. It’s a model I’d love to connect with the Medical Humanities work happening here at Southampton.
Are there any career highlights you’re especially proud of?
During my postdoc, I organised an online festival during COVID showcasing autistic-led art, research, and community-building. It flipped the usual researcher-participant dynamic and centred community knowledge. This was a really meaningful project for me.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Gardening and nature! I have an allotment and love being outdoors. I’m not a fan of being inside, so I make an effort to spend as much time as possible outside.