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Ryan Fallon

Ryan’s subject area is the social history. His research explores the experiences and memories of the patient at the Stannington Children’s Sanatorium, 1908-1960.

Project Title

Experiences of the Child Patient: The Stannington Children's Sanatorium, 1908-1960

Supervisors

Dr Lutz Sauerteig

Professor Graham Smith

 

 

Contact

R.Fallon@newcastle.ac.uk 

Project Description

Carrying out and (re)using Oral History testimonies, Ryan’s work explores the experiences of the child patient at the Stannington Sanatorium. By deploying a life-histories approach to interviewing, his research determines the ways in which medical treatment has been remembered. Aligning with the literature on memory studies, the central argument of his thesis is that memories are impacted by other aspects of a person’s life: their family history, their career, and their life after treatment. In (re)using archived oral histories and (re)interviewing former patients, Ryan’s research contributes to the literature around (re)use; exploring how memories change and remain the same.

Memory has long been positioned as a slippery medium for preserving historical facts. Ryan contends with this argument by using physical sources: pamphlets, books, and photographs. The archives of the Stannington Sanatorium – held at the Northumberland Archives – are used to contextualise what is discussed within oral history testimonies.

Sitting within the intersection of childhood and medical history, Ryan’s work combines the scholarship of both disciplines. The child patient, due to their status as both a child and a patient, remains unexplored. Via physical sources and oral history testimonies, Ryan’s work explores what it was like for a child patient in the North-East of England between 1900-1960. Such research demonstrates the cultural and social changes in childhood, and how these changes specifically impacted the individual’s memories.

Qualifications

  • BA. Politics and History, Â鶹´«Ã½
  • MA. History of Medicine, Â鶹´«Ã½

Other Roles

  • Seminar Leader: HIS1101 and HIS2323
  • Editor of Pons Aelius 16 and 17
  • Conference support for Post-Graduate Forum, 2024 
  • Conference support for Children’s History Society, 2024
  • Internship at the Northumberland Archives, 2025-2026

Awards

 AHRC Collaborative Scholarship, Northern Bridge

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