Prof. Miriam O’Kane Mara

Prof. Miriam O’Kane Mara from Arizona State University is visiting as a Fulbright scholar at the department of Literature, where she will share her vast knowledge and research interests in literary theory, transnational discourses, comparative literature and postcolonial space with both the faculty and students. Prof. Mara earned her Ph.D in English from University of New Mexico, M.A in English from University of North Carolina. In addition to holding various academic and administrative positions,

Prof. Mara has received several academic honours and awards, research and fellowship grants in recognition and support of her scholarship including Tapestry of Diverse Talents, Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Outstanding Research Award Honorable Mention, Fulbright Scholar Program.

Prof. Mara is also well versed with the conference circuit, having presented more than thirty papers in conferences around the world, published several refereed journal articles and book chapters. During her stay Prof. Mara will teach postgraduate students, provide supervision and mentorship as well as conduct research in health rhetoric. 

Her project titled Medical Contexts, Textual Bodies: Gendered Cancer in Medicine and Fiction aims to learn about Kenyan health care professionals, including traditional healers, and their attitudes about cancer. The project has Institutional Review Board approval from ASU for semi-structured interviews with medical workers. This work builds on earlier examination of reports from the Nairobi Cancer Registry, and earlier publications investigating images of cancer in Irish Literature. Medical personnel (doctors, nurses, lab technicians or other medical professional interested in her research can reach her via email; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.