Dr Stella Bullo

Academic and professional qualifications

• 2011 – PhD in Applied Linguistics, Lancaster University (by thesis and coursework, with taught modules in Applied Linguistics and Research Methods).
• 2003 – MA in Education Management, Manchester Metropolitan University
• 2000 – BA English Language and TEFL, Universidad de Córdoba, Argentina  

Other academic service (administration and management)

Current role:

• Departmental research degrees manager

Former roles:

• Postgraduate Linguistics Network leader
• MA Applied Linguistics course leader
• BA Languages and Linguistics joint course leader
• Departmental exchange coordinator
• Faculty Internationalisation Group representative for Latin America

Why study Linguistics?

Undergraduate courses

• Language, Image, Media (L6)
• Semantics (L4)
• Discourse Analysis (L5)

Postgraduate teaching

I teach the following subject areas:

• Discourse analysis
• Critical discourse analysis 
• Language, culture and communication 
• Language in a globalised world
• Intercultural communication 

In the following postgraduate courses at MMU:

• MA TESOL and Applied Linguistics 
• MA Linguistics and English Language and English Studies
• MA International Relations and Global Communications 

I have formerly taught in:

• MSc in Communication, Behaviour and Credibility Analysis
• Intercultural Communciation (second year UG)
• Language and its structure 2 (second year UG)

Postgraduate supervision (completed/in progress)

I supervise research in critical/discourse analysis, including systemic functional linguistics, appraisal theory, socio-cognitive approaches, conceptual metaphor/blending theory, multimodal discourse as well as  intercultural communication applied to advertising discourse, corporate communication, educational discourse, identity, and health and medical discourse.

I especially welcome projects that wish to explore discourse approaches to health, illness and medical discourse, intercultural studies of health, and other related areas of the Medical Humanities and Health Communication.

I supervise PhDs and MA and UG dissertations in the areas mentioned above.

External examiner roles

Research expertise

My research interest sits at the interaction of language, gender and health inequality. I am working on various strands of this intersection examining the role of language and discourse in reproductive health communication. 

Currently, I am developing a project exploring the role of language and communication in health inequality in reproductive conditions in Latin America as part of my work 
in International Organisation for the Study of Language and Culture in Health Communication

I have worked on the language and communication, including visual communication, of chronic reproductive pain for some time now. My research on the Language of Endometriosis, and pain, in particular has gained considerable media attention being featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC Radio World Service and The Sun. 

I am also involved in the development of a project exploring the discourses of marginalisation and health inequalities surrounding reproductive conditions in transgender communities. This is in collaboration with Lexi Webster, Jasmine Hearn and Joseph Keenan. 

I work with a variety of (critical) discourse analysis approaches, including systemic functional linguistics, appraisal theory, socio-cognitive approaches, conceptual metaphor/blending theory; multimodality (visual, non-verbal, etc. discourse). 

My early research was in the field of discourse and advertising with a particular focus on the reception process looking at audience sense-making practices and attitudinal positioning. I'm also interested in the use of formulaic language in discourse; in particular I explore the uses and functions of cliches in discourse from a functional perspective. 

Academic collaborations

Research Groups:

Centre for Creative Writing, English Literature and Linguistics 

Critical Medical Humanities

Manchester Centre for Research in Linguistics

External collabororations:

• with Dr Veronika Koller from Lancaster University on a project exploring tattoos and illnesses 
• with Dr Annalise Weckesser, Clinicians’ and Health Professionals’ Experiences of Diagnosing, Treating and Supporting Patients Living with (Suspected) Endometriosis
• with Endo(In)visible, US based endometriosis support charity 
• The Language of endometriosis / El Lenguaje de la Endometriosis, with Dr Mariana Pascual, Pontificia Universidad catolica de Santiago, chile.
• International association for health, discourse, communication and culture studies, working in partnership with Dr Mariana Pascual, Pontificial Universidad Catolica de Santiago, Chile and Dr Dalia Managa, Univerity of California, Merced. www.lachcom.com

Past collaborations:

Positioning Culture in HE internationalization. European and Latin American perspectives. A project in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, UK; Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Argentina; Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Argentina.

Publications

• Books (authored/edited/special issues)

  S. Bullo (2014). Evaluation in Advertising Reception A Socio-Cognitive and Linguistic Perspective. Palgrave Macmillan.

• Journal articles

  S. Bullo, A. Weckesser (2021). Addressing Challenges in Endometriosis Pain Communication Between Patients and Doctors: The Role of Language. Frontiers in Global Women's Health. 2,

  V. Koller, S. Bullo (2019). “Fight Like a Girl”: Tattoos as Identity Constructions for Women Living with Illness. Multimodal Communication. 8(1), pp.20180006-20180006.

  S. Bullo (2017). Investigating intertextuality and interdiscursivity in evaluation: the case of conceptual blending. Language and Cognition. 9(4), pp.709-727.

Invited papers

 Conference paper presentations, invited speaker and other scholarly activity

• Lancaster University, Medical Humanities Research Group. Paper title: Describing the invisible torturer: The construction of pain experience as a shared narrative by women with endometriosis. November 2021.
• CMS In-Touch Webminar Series, Speaking a Secret Language: Challenging the Patriarchy through Forms of Communication. With Prof. Veronika Koller. Title: “Fight Like a Girl”: Tattoos as Identity Constructions for Women Living with Illness. January 2021.
• European Health Psychology Society Conference. With Jasmine Hearn. Title: Parallel worlds and personified pain: A mixed methods analysis of pain metaphor use by women with endometriosis, August 2020.
• Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Santiago, Chile. Exploring disempowerment in women's accounts of endometriosis experiences. 25 April 2019.
• Oxford University. ASA18: Sociality, matter, and the imagination: re-creating Anthropology. Paper: Intertextuality and conceptual blending in endometriosis pain narratives. 18-21 September 2018.
• University of Huddersfield, linguistics research seminar. Invited presentation. Paper title: 'The challenges of communicating endometriosis pain', 24 October 2018.
• British Association of Applied Linguistics; Health & Science Communication SIG Workshop, Kings College, London. Paper title: Multimodal accounts of endometriosis pain: A hands-on approach. 21 November 2018.
• Lancaster University, BAAL Health & Science Communication SIG Workshop Chronic Disease and Language: Understanding Social and Linguistic Representations to Improve Treatment and Prevention. Paper title: Endometriosis Pain Description and Diagnosis Delay: A Cognitive Linguistic Study.
• Lancaster University, BAAL Health & Science Communication SIG Workshop Chronic Disease and Language: Understanding Social and Linguistic Representations to Improve Treatment and Prevention. Paper title: ‘Fight Like a Girl’: Tattoos as Multimodal Identity Constructions by women with Endometriosis (with Dr Veronika Koller), November 2017.
• Birminghan City University, Family Health Research Cluster, November 2017. Paper title: The Language of Endometriosis: Exploring linguistic descriptions of pain. 
• British Association of Applied Linguistics Health and Science Communication SIG, Leeds, September 2017. Paper title: Exploring discourses of endometriosis and dis/empowerment. 
• Summer school in corpus linguistics, University College London, July 2016.
• Lancaster University, Language in Power Research group. Presentation topic: Evaluation in Advertising Reception, Palgrave. February, 2015.
• Facultad de Letras de la Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC). Invited scholar lecturing in the topic of metaphor in discourse. August, 2014.
• IX Congreso Latinoamericano de Lingüística Sistémico Funcional (ALSFAL). Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago. October 2013.
• III International conference on meaning construction, meaning interpretation: Applications and implications (CRAL). Universidad de la Rioja, Logroño, Spain. July 2013.
• Bullo, S., Paucar-Caceres, A., (2013) ‘A Framework to Explore Internationalisation in Management Education Using Critical Discourse Analysis’ XLVIII Asamblea Annual, Consejo Latino Americano de Escuelas de Adminstracion CLADEA, October 2012, Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
• Summer school and Workshop in Systemic Functional Linguistics, Cardiff, September 2012.
• British Association of Applied Linguistics conference, Bristol, September 2011. Paper title: A socio-cognitive approach to the study of evaluation in advertising reception.
• Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice conference, Cardiff, June 2011. Paper title: Evaluation in advertising reception: A socio-cognitive study.
• Plurilingualism and Pluriculturalism in a Globalised World conference, London, June, 2010. Paper Title Parental attitudes to language learning in Arabic and Chinese supplementary schools: a case study.
• British Association of Applied Linguistics Language Learning and Teaching SIG, Manchester, July 2009. Paper title: Investigating language attitudes in supplementary schools.
• Community and lesser taught languages: planning, promotion and awareness Conference, Manchester, 2008. Paper title: Supplementary schools and language attitudes.

Invited roundtable discussions

• Invited presenter: The Femedic and Emerald x Tiger, shorditch, London, evet: The future of Living with Endometriosis, 14 February 2019. https://42acresshoreditch.com/events/the-future-of-living-with-endometriosis-meditation-session/ 
• Endometriosis-UK Birmingham support group: November 201

Conference organisation

Community and Lesser Taught Languages: Planning, Promotion and Awareness Conference, November 2009.

The Second Lancaster University Postgraduate Conference in Linguistics and Language Teaching, July 2007.

Expert reviewer for journals and publishers

Article reviewer for:

• Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis Across Disciplines (CADAAD).
• Discurso y Sociedad
• Journal of Applied Linguistics.
• Journal of Pain.
• Journal of the Operational Research Society
• Metaphor & Symbol
• ONOMAZEIN (Revista semestral de lingüística, filología y traducción de la Facultad de Letras de la Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile) - Revista de Linguistics, Filologia y Traduccion, hosted at Faculty of Letras, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile.

Grants

Visual accounts of endometriosis pain: a hands-on approach. MMU Research(er) Development Fund 2017/18 - Research Accelerator Grant.

International association for health, discourse, communication and culture studies. MMU International Research Partnership fund. 2019

Communicating Endo: Health Professionals’ Experiences of Diagnosing and Treating Patients with (Suspected) Endometriosis. Birminghan City University (BCU internal funding), 2019.

VC Scholarship scheme for a Critical Medical Humanities PhD studentship. Full PhD scholarship for home student, 2018.  

Projects and initiatives

The “Europe and Latin America Innovation and Knowledge Academic Network” (EuroInKaNet). This is a €3.5 million European Commission funded 4 year-project, part of ERASMUS+ programme. Seven institutions in Europe and 13 institutions in Latin America form part of a consortium dedicated to to student and staff mobility between Europe and Latin America HEIs. MMU is the lead institution. I worked in this project in collaboration with Professor Alberto Paucer-Cacares from the Faculty of Business and Law. 

Media appearances or involvement

• The Conversation. Endometriosis: understanding how sufferers describe pain could lead to faster diagnosis. 22nd November 2021. With Annalise Weckesser.
• The New York Times, 9th November 202. Article ‘Burning, Crushing, Stabbing: How Words Affect Pain. The language you use could make a difference on the pain you feel.’ By Cameron walker.
• The Conversation. Why we need to get creative when it comes to talking about pain. With Jasmine Hearn. 21st December 2020.
• The Guardian, 28th October 2020. Mention by Dr Sarah Drabble and Prof Alicia O’Cathain in The Vast Language od Endometriosis letter.
• The Sun, 28 February 2019. DOCTOR'S ORDERS Millions with endometriosis face SEVEN-YEAR delay to get correct diagnosis, experts warn; 
• BBC Radio World Service, Health Check programme, Wednesday 13 March 2019 [@15 mins]

Membership of professional associations

British Association of Applied Linguistics, Health and Science Communication Special Interest Group convenor.