Disability Pride Month: Sharon Brookes

Posted on July 17, 2024   by Microbiology Society

The month of July marks Disability Pride Month –  a month dedicated to celebrating difference and diversity among the disabled community. To highlight this awareness month, we caught up with retired member, Sharon Brookes, who has worn many Society hats during her career. Sharon shares her experience navigating academia with a disability, and gives advice to others with disabilities working in science.

Could you tell us about yourself?

My name is Sharon Brookes; I recently retired from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), UK, where my role was Lead Scientist for Animal and Zoonotic Viral Diseases. This is a strategic post liaising between APHA and Defra, the Devolved Administrations (DAs) of Scotland and Wales as well as other key stakeholders and customers. I am also an Associate Professor in the Biological Sciences School at the University of Surrey, UK. I have been a member of the Microbiology Society for many years, serving on the Virus Division and Council in the past. I was also Editor for the Journal of Medical Microbiology from 2017–2022 and am currently for the Journal of General Virology (JGV).

It’s Disability Pride Month in July; do you think it’s important to have an awareness month like this one? If so, why?

Yes, it's important to have these periods of recognition to raise awareness of the varied groups that function within society, especially those with characteristics that need to be protected. This includes people with disabilities, both visible and hidden forms, plus those living with long term health conditions. It is important that those of us who live with it have access to reasonable adjustments in order to be able to fulfil our potential in society as a whole and as microbiologists.

As a microbiologist, living disabilities and long term health conditions, what were some of the challenges you have faced?

My earliest challenges related to suffering with migraines which impact the pre-, para- and post-days of the episode. For me, it was once or twice a month but for others it can be more or less frequent and impacts the ability to carry out some tasks in the timeframe that those without the condition would be able to. I am also hard of hearing and wear hearing aids. This is a progressive condition that was detected during my PhD studies in the late 1980s and continues to this day. While hearing aids and other hearing assistance equipment do help, they’re very dependent on the environment. One-to-one or small groups are okay as many of us learn to lip read whether we are aware of it or not; for larger groups it gets harder. Conference rooms are usually okay with microphones and speakers when one person is speaking at a time, when there are multiple voices it becomes difficult to hear anyone in particular and can become overwhelming. Having a quieter place to retreat to helps a lot.

Food intolerances is another issue which myself and many others deal with. Dietary requirements are much better dealt with now than they were in the past, but we still have to juggle the uncertainties of exposure, making others aware and carry necessary treatments with us, such as EpiPens. Long term health conditions have also had an impact on my career since 2018. This meant fatigue, regular hospital visits, a range of medications and their side effects. I have had to step down early from some roles, such as the Society’s Council, and take early retirement from my full time position at APHA. We are resilient though and, with help from others, can continue with adaptations to stay engaged in our science.

Do you think more needs to be done to support Disabled people working in (or hoping to work in) science?

Yes, awareness is key and many organisations have equality, diversity and inclusion policies but it's about how they put those into action, the UK Civil Service which APHA is part of as an arm’s length body of the Government department – Defra, has been good and allowed me to continue adapting and evolving my career. For other smaller organisations, academia or other countries, I am not so sure they have the support they need.

We all need to champion good practice. I have aimed to implement work experience for those with disabilities to enable them to determine what scope there is for their careers with the adaptation they need and for employers to see that we have a valuable contribution to make.

When and why did you first become interested in microbiology?

My interest in pathology began in my early school years; which evolved to be a focus on microbiology at university degree level and then a virology specialty at BSc Honours year and onto my PhD. Both veterinary and medical virology have been my career for over 30 years.

Is there any advice that you would give to other Disabled people working in (or hoping to work in) science?

Yes, set up a workplace passport with your manager as soon as you start a job. This helps you both understand what you need to be able to do the work to the best of your ability. Ask to speak to someone else in a similar position who has additional requirements to find out what is available to employees at your organisation. If you're unsure about a particular role or employer, ask to do work experience and/or shadow someone else doing the job you are interested in. Talk to human resources about any adaptations offered or needed, including for interviews.

If you hadn’t gone into science, what career path do you think you would you have chosen?

That is a difficult one, as science has been my passion for a very long time. I guess veterinarian with a focus on livestock, a pathologist or a farmer would have been the other options.

As you have been involved in the Society’s governance structure, what advice would you give to people wanting to join governance?

It has been a great experience and I have learnt a lot, as well as providing perspective to the Society. The Shadowing Scheme was one of the best things I have done and it allowed me to assess if it was something I wanted to do and whether I had something unique to offer. The Shadowing Scheme started just for Council, but has now opened up for other roles in the governance structure such as Divisions and Committees, the Society’s journals also offer reviewer and editorial experiences in different formats. So ask how you can Get Involved with the Society!

What is the highlight of your career so far and what are the next steps for you?

The highlights of my career have been establishing disease pathogenesis models for veterinary and zoonotic diseases, managing Swine and avian influenza outbreak laboratory responses for the UK. More recently, setting up a SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis, surveillance and research programme for infection in animals for the UK at the APHA – with projects funded at short notice in 2020–2024  by Defra and DAs, UKRI and the EU. My next steps are to continue my Associate Professorship at the University of Surrey, UK, completing supervision of a PhD student, along with mentoring students and early career scientists. I will also carry on with my editor role for JGV, editorial board for Veterinary Record and perhaps other non-executive director roles in the field of microbiological research.

Could you tell us why you decided to join the Society?

I joined the Society to be part of the microbiological sciences community in the UK and internationally. It's been great to attend conferences and meet fellow researchers, some of whom I have worked and collaborated with for a decade or more; they are my work friends. It is also a good chance to give back to others in this community, mentoring and assisting microbiologists of the future. It's been a great pleasure to learn reviewing and editorial skills with the Society’s suite of journals. I have also benefited from joining the Society by being awarded a Harry Smith Vacation Studentship.

Find out how to get more involved with Society activities via our Get Involved webpage.