Dr Chase Ledin Appointed as The Polyphony’s New Editor-in-Chief

Dr Chase Ledin holds a PhD in Social and Cultural Theory from the University of Edinburgh, where his thesis explored the sociocultural impacts of ‘post-AIDS’ health promotion and visual cultures in the UK and USA. Building on his expertise in the sociology, politics and history of queer health and medicine, Chase’s postdoctoral research currently investigates the sociocultural aspects of unprescribed antibiotic use amongst gay and bisexual men in the UK. More broadly, Chase is interested in bringing together work across the medical humanities, science and technology studies, queer cultural studies, and film studies to facilitate the development of queer sexual health education and policy in Scotland.

Chase’s creative work also aims to contribute to ongoing projects to historicise and archive HIV/AIDS narratives, and includes critical writings about polyamory, the ethics of sexual health education, and the cultural histories of sexology in the UK. To this end, Chase joined The Polyphony in January 2021 in the capacity of Associate Editor and has since contributed to critical discussions on the histories of patient organisations and the contemporary politics of HIV/AIDS, amongst many others. The catalogue of Chase’s previous posts for The Polyphony can be read online here.

Now in post as Editor-in-Chief for The Polyphony, Chase aims to build upon the work and leadership of his predecessor, Dr Fred Spence, who will be assuming Chase’s previous role of Associate Editor. In particular, Chase hopes to draw greater attention to intersectional theories within the critical medical and health humanities.

Dr Chase Ledin said:

“The Polyphony serves as an important discursive space in which to highlight and facilitate discussions between academics and practitioners in medical and health humanities. I hope in the Editor-in-Chief role to refine this vision, to draw out these conversations not simply from actors in the UK, North America, and Oceania, where the medical humanities predominate. Like Fred's vision, I think there is need to critically engage the multi-lingual and multi-national dimensions of this discipline. These dimensions are acknowledged, but much more can be said about the relationship between these contextual differences, which is only burgeoning as a concern within the discipline.”

IMH extend their warmest thanks to Fred for their work and wish Chase the best of luck in his new role!

You can read Chase’s first post as Editor-in-Chief, ‘New Beginnings at the Polyphony’, on The Polyphony website.