Dr Meiko Makita
Lecturer
Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences
Contact
Websites
Biography
Born and brought up in the northwest of Mexico; I am second-generation Mexican Japanese. I completed a BSc in Communication and Media Studies at Tecnologico de Monterrey (Monterrey, Mexico) followed by a MSc in Prospective and Strategic Future Studies at Escuela de Gobierno y Transformacion Publica (Monterrey, Mexico). I then pursued a PhD in Sociology at the University of Glasgow (UK) on a project looking at the lived experiences of ageing among Mexican women. During my PhD studies and thereafter I held part-time posts as lecturer/tutor at Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Glasgow. In early 2023 I joined the University of Dundee as Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences.
Research
I have been involved in externally funded research projects exploring for instance, older LGBTQ+ adults’ lived experiences of end-of-life care; co-creating age friendly cities and communities; and the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities in the Global South, among other topics.
Methods for data collection and analysis
- Qualitative research (e.g., in-depth interviews, focus groups, walk-along interviews, photo-voice)
- Community-based participatory research
- Thematic, and Discourse analysis
- Social media analysis, and Cybermetrics (research evaluation)
- Community mapping, and knowledge cafes
- Scoping reviews
Research interests
Along with my interest in researching lived experiences of ageing and later life in relation to health, wellbeing, and marginalisation issues, I am interested in analysing digitally mediated healthcare information and communication and online health communities, particularly discursive practices on social media. I have undertaken research in this area as part of the Statistical Cybermetrics and Research Evaluation Group at University of Wolverhampton.
I’m also interested in integrating meaningful community involvement and stakeholder engagement to health and care research; this is an area I was contributing to at my previous research post at the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Respiratory Health (RESPIRE) at the University of Edinburgh.
Selected publications
Makita, M., Bahena A. and Almack, K. (2020) The role of sexual orientation, age, living arrangements and self-rated health in planning for end-of-life care for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) older people in the United Kingdom. Sexualities special issue on LGBT End of Life. DOI: 10.1177/1363460720932381
Makita, M., Mas-Bleda, A., Morris, S. and Thelwall, M. (2020) Mental health discourses on Twitter during Mental Health Awareness Week. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 42(5): 437-450. DOI: 10.1080/01612840.2020.1814914
Makita, M., Woolrych, R., Sixsmith, J., Murray, M., Menezes, D., Fisher, J. and Lawthom, R. (2020) Place (in)securities: Older adults’ perceptions across urban environments in the United Kingdom. [online] Psyecology. DOI: 10.1080/21711976.2020.1728653
Makita, M., Mas-Bleda, A., Stuart, E. and Thelwall, M. (2019) Ageing, old age and older adults: a social media analysis of dominant topics and discourses. [Online first] Ageing & Society 1–26. DOI: 10.1017/S0144686X19001016
Thelwall, M. Makita, M., Mas-Bleda, A. and Stuart, E. (2020) “My ADHD hellbrain”: A Twitter data science perspective on a behavioural disorder. Journal of Data and Information Science, 6: 13-34. DOI: 10.2478/jdis-2021-0007
Woolrych, R., Sixsmith, J., Fisher, J., Makita, M., Lawthom, R. and Murray, M. (2019) Constructing and negotiating social participation in old age: Experiences of older adults living in urban environments in the United Kingdom. [online first] Ageing & Society 1-23. DOI: 10.1017/S0144686X19001569
Thelwall, M., Devonportb, T. J., Makita, M., Russell, K., and Ferguson, L. (in-press) Academic LGBTQ+ terminology 1900-2021: Increasing variety, increasing inclusivity? Journal of Homosexuality. DOI: pending