Dr Patricia Neville is a qualitative sociologist who works in the field of dental education and oral health. A first generation sociology graduate of the University College Cork and University of Limerick, Republic of Ireland, she joined Bristol Dental School in 2014 and is currently Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences and Theme Lead for Ethics, Law, Professionalism and Social Accountability. Previously she lectured at University of Limerick, Griffth College Cork and University College Cork.  She is also the Chair for the Faculty of Health Sciences Student Research Ethics Committee, University of Bristol.

She is a research active sociologist who advocates for a social science perspective to dental and oral health research. Her current research interests are in equality and inclusion issues in dentistry, digital technology and social media in dentistry, dental/healthcare professionalism and a sociology of oral health. These research projects build on her previous/ongoing work in the sociology of gender, health, and education. Her work has been published in such journals as British Dental Journal, European Journal of Dental Education, New Media & Society, Health Sociology Review, Journal of Mental Health, Journal of Mens Studies, and the Journal of Gender Studies.