Global Pride Network

Mark Hughes

Southern Cross University, Australia

Main Research Areas:

LGBTIQ+ ageing; aged care policy and practice; social work; LGBTIQ+ end of life care

Biography:

Mark Hughes PhD is Professor of Social Work and Dean of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University, Australia. He has worked as a social worker in health, mental health and aged care settings in both Australia and the UK. Mark is a former Chair of Academic Board at Southern Cross University and Editor of Australian Social Work (2013-17). He has also worked as a social work academic at the University of Queensland, University of New South Wales, and Goldsmiths College London.

Mark’s research interests focus on social work practice, social work with older people, and LGBTIQ+ ageing. He is currently a Chief Investigator on two Australian Research Council grants: one on the production, use and impact of Australian social work research, and the other on the health disparities faced by older LGBTIQ+ Australians. Mark has collaborated widely with national and international scholars on LGBTIQ+ ageing research and was Visiting Professor at the Centre for Research on Ageing and Gender at the University of Surrey in 2015.

Mark first initiated research on LGBTIQ+ ageing in 2002. He has since completed projects on the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ older people, sexual identity expression in aged care, lesbian and gay people’s expectations of ageing and aged care services, end of life care for LGBTIQ+ people, and the impact of COVID-19 on LGBTIQ+ older people. Mark’s research has developed in collaboration with LGBTIQ+ communities and organisations and has focused on the practical implications for service delivery and policy reform. He is an active member of the National LGBTI Health Alliance and the LGBTI Special Interest Group of the Australian Association of Gerontology.

Selected Works:

Hughes, M. (2016) Loneliness and social support among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people aged 50 and over. Ageing and Society, 36(9), 1961-1981.

Hughes, M. (2009) Lesbian and gay people’s concerns about ageing and accessing services. Australian Social Work, 62(2), 186-201.

Hughes, M. (2008) Imagined futures and communities: older lesbian and gay people’s narratives on health and aged care. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 20(1/2), 167-86.