Carl May

Title(s): Professor of Health Systems Implementation, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 

Current Position/Designation: Professor, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Institutional Affiliation: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Professor Carl May is a prominent medical sociologist and implementation scientist, known for his extensive research in medical sociology and Implementation Science. He is currently a Professor of Health Systems Implementation at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in the Faculty of Public Health and Policy. With over 500 publications, Professor May has made significant contributions to understanding how health technologies and innovations become integrated into routine healthcare practice. His work, including the development of Normalization Process Theory, focuses on the social dynamics that shape the adoption and implementation of innovations in healthcare systems. Professor May has held senior academic positions at Southampton and Newcastle Universities and has honorary professorial appointments at the University of Melbourne and Monash University. He has been recognized with numerous awards, including being elected a Senior Investigator at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Relevant Professional Skills/Experiences

  • Expertise in Implementation Science, focusing on the integration of healthcare innovations and technologies into routine practice.
  • Developer of Normalization Process Theory, which examines the social processes that affect the adoption of new healthcare technologies and organizational practices.
  • Extensive experience in conducting qualitative research, particularly within the context of randomized controlled trials and health services research.
  • Proven ability to analyze and influence the dynamics of professional-patient relationships and disease perception in healthcare settings.
  • In-depth knowledge of health systems and strategies to improve their functionality, focusing on patient workload and treatment compliance through Minimally Disruptive Medicine.
  • Strong leadership in academic research with a record of high-impact publications and substantial contributions to the field of medical sociology.

Relevant Career Highlights

  • Professor of Health Systems Implementation at LSHTM (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine).
  • Over 500 published works in the fields of medical sociology and Implementation Science.
  • Developer of Normalization Process Theory alongside Tracy Finch and Victor Montori, a sociological framework for understanding the embedding of health innovations in organizational settings.
  • Senior Investigator at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) since 2010.
  • Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (2020).
  • Elected Academician of the Academy of Learned Societies in the Social Sciences (2006).
  • Honorary Professorial appointments in primary care at the University of Melbourne and public health at Monash University.

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