Emeritus Professor of Oral History, Faculty of Health and Social Care, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

Joanna Bornat has a long-standing interest in oral history, ageing and old age. In relation to this, her research and publications include amongst other topics remembering in care settings, older people and intergenerational family relationships and the contribution of overseas trained doctors to the NHS with specific reference to the development of the geriatric specialty.

Her methodological interests lie in the implications of the re-use or secondary analysis of archived interviews in connection and she has contributed to debates in this area. Linked to this is an interest in comparative oral history, spurred by her involvement in an international project, investigating religious and secular ceremonies recalled by older people in three European countries.

She has for many years been a committee member of the Oral History Society and joint editor of the journal Oral History. She is a founder member of the Centre for Ageing and Biographical Studies.

She is a member of the advisory panel of ‘Australian generations: oral history, memory and everyday lives’, Australian Research Council funded project (start date 2011 for four years).

She is an associate editor of Families, Relationships and Societies, a co-operating editor of Historical Social Research/Historische Sozial for schung and a member of the editorial advisory board of Memo.

Out side The Open University she has taught modules at undergraduate and MA level on life history and oral history methodologies at the Universities of London