Professor Richard Coker on public health, HIV/AIDS, being a medical doctor, dissection, infectious diseases, tuberculosis, and medical training

In this episode, hear Dr Richard Coker on public health, HIV/AIDS, being a medical doctor, dissection, infectious diseases, tuberculosis, and medical training

 Who is Richard?

Richard Coker is Emeritus Professor of Public Health. He trained in medicine at St. Mary's Hospital, London and, in 1994, became consultant physician to the hospital and senior lecturer at Imperial College School of Medicine.

His interests include communicable diseases, in particular emerging infectious diseases, HIV, and tuberculosis, and health systems responses to disasters. In 1997, as a Harkness Fellow, he spent a year at Columbia School of Public Health in New York, USA, researching the causes and responses to the epidemic oftuberculosis that city witnessed in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

His book, From Chaos to Coercion: detention and the control of tuberculosis, was one of the results from this work. He subsequently worked as a Wellcome Research Associate researching public health legislative responses to infectious disease threats. In recent years he has worked predominantly in SE Asia on public health responses to support control of infectious diseases.

Today he talks about his book Timor Mortis: How we live with death, a memoir.

Introductory Audio on Deathbots

Do you work or volunteer in a bereavement care role supportingbereaved individuals? Dr Georgia Wilson and colleagues from the Death, Dying and Bereavement Research Team at Manchester Metropolitan University are exploring the perspectives of those who support the bereaved on deathbots and other grief-related AI technologies. If you have at least one year's experience supporting bereaved people, we'd love to hear your views through a short anonymous survey. Findings will be used to inform future guidance and training for those who support bereaved individuals who may use these technologies as part of their bereavement.

Link to survey here: Preparing Bereavement Care Providers for"Deathbots" – Fill in form

How do I cite the episode in my research and reading lists?

To cite this episode, you can use thefollowing citation: Coker, R. (2026) Interviewon The Death Studies Podcast hosted by Michael-Fox, B. and Visser, R. Published 1 November 2026. Available at: www.thedeathstudiespodcast.com, DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.34876293