Biography

Mara Pieri is Permanent Assistant Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra. She holds a Master's degree in Sociology from the University of Trento (Italy) and a PhD in 'Human Rights in Contemporary Societies' from the Centre for Social Studies. Her doctoral dissertation on LGBTQ+ people with chronic illnesses won the 'Controtempo' prize from the Codici Ricerca e Intervento Foundation (Milan) for the development of the 'Chroniqueers' project (www.chroniqueers.it) and the honourable mention of the 'Virgínia Quaresma' Prize in Cultural Studies (University of Aveiro). She coordinates the research project "PULSAR - The role of LGBTQ+ professionals for inclusive healthcare", funded by FCT (2025 -2026). She also coordinates the Portuguese team of "CLICK - Connecting Families, Educators and Policymakers to Improve the Well-being of LGBTIQ Children through an Intersectional Approach" (2025-2027), financed by the European Union. She was member of the team working on the project 'REMEMBER - Experiences of Older LGBTQ People in Democratic Portugal (1974-2020)'. In this context, she scientifically coordinated the Guide 'Ageing as LGBTQ+ in Portugal. Guide for Health Professionals and Carers' in 2024. She carried out research on access to healthcare for LGBTQ+ people in the project "DIVERS - Diversity and Inclusion in Access to Healthcare" financed by CEEC-FCT (2022-2026). She is a member of the Thematic Line 'Democracy, Justice and Human Rights' and, since 2024, has been on the Editorial Board of the Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais. She is currently Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Centre for Social Studies and co-coordinator of the GPS - Sexualities Research Group. She is also a lecturer at the GEDM - Master in Gender Equality and Diversity Management and a trainer in Masters and PhD courses. She has relevant experience as a trainer in accessible and inclusive communication and science communication. She has published on LGBTQ+ issues, sociology of health and crip studies, with a focus on chronic diseases, (in)visibility and health inequalities. In 2023, she published the book 'LGBTQ+ People with Chronic Illness. Chroniqueers in Southern Europe' (Palgrave, 2023). The book won the Anne Bolin & Gil Herdt Book Prize Honourable Mention (HSAIG and American Anthropological Association). Her recent research interests include: medicalisation; chronic illness and invisible disability; visibility; accessibility; sexualities in Southern Europe; and LGBTQ+ health.