Mário JDS Santos is a PhD candidate in sociology in ISCTE-IUL with a project on the professional dynamics in home births. He holds a degree in Nursing and an MSc in Health, Medicine, and Society. His research is mainly focused on the Sociology of health and illness and the Sociology of childbirth.

Research Interests:

Sociology of childbirth. Sociology of health. Pregnancy. Childbirth. Midwifery. Doulas.

Main Projects:

• 2018-2021: “ETHICHO – Coreografias ético-ontológicas: Formas de objetivação e avaliação do embrião humano in vitro no contexto da Procriação Medicamente Assistida e da Investigação Científica”; Catarina Delaunay Gomes (Investigadora Principal), Alexandre Martins; Daniela Soares; José Manuel Resende; Pedro Jorge Caetano; Amélia Augusto; Tiago Correia; Financiado pela FCT (PTDC/SOC-SOC/29764/2017); 
• 2017-2019: “Mapping out-of-hospital births in Europe – Social, legal, and organisational issues”; Santos, M. JDS (Principal Investigator); Augusto, A.; Clausen, J. A.; De Jonge, A; Zenzmaier, C.; Blix,E.; Borozdina, E.; Beeckman, K.; Alcaraz, L.; König-Bachmann, M.; Ruiz-Berdún, M. D.; Gillen, P.; Escuriet, R.; Vias-Lienhart. S.; Research project within COST Action IS1405 BIRTH;
• 2017-2019: “Models of maternity care in Europe for women with no or low risk obstetric factors: Comparison of funding systems, care facilities and health care professionals involved”; Beeckman K. (Principal Investigator); Escuriet, R.; De Jonge, A.; Iannuzzi, L.; König-Bachmann, L.; Leinweber, J.; Santos, M.; Setola, N.; Vika Nilsen, A. B.; Research project within COST Action IS1405 BIRTH;
• 2015-…: “Babies Born Better: Inquérito às experiências de utilização de serviços de saúde materna em Portugal”; Santos, M. (Principal Investigator); Neves, D.; Pintassilgo, S.; Carvalho, H., Matos, M.; Permanent non-funded Project hosted in Portugal by CIES-IUL; http://www.babiesbornbetter.org;
• 2014-2018: COST Action IS1405; "Building Intrapartum Research Through Health - an interdisciplinary whole system approach to understanding and contextualising physiological labour and birth (BIRTH)"; Santos, M. (Portuguese member of the Action Management Committee); Project funded by COST;  

• Santos, M. JDS, Augusto, A., Clausen, J. A., & Shabot, S. C. (2019). Essentialism as a form of resistance: an ethnography of gender dynamics in contemporary home births. Journal of Gender Studies;
• Santos, M. JDS (2019), I. Löwy Imperfect Pregnancies: A History of Birth Defects and Prenatal Diagnosis [Book Review], Sociology of Health and Illness. doi:10.1111/1467-9566.12857;
• Santos, M. JDS (2018). Can the unequal access to home birth be framed as a source of inequalities? A comparison between Portugal and Denmark. Portuguese Journal of Social Science, 17(3), 335-347;
• Santos, M. JDS (2017). Where the thread of home births never broke – An interview with Susanne Houd. Women and Birth. 30, 159-165;
• Sadler, M., Santos, M. JDS, Ruiz-Berdún, D., Rojas, G. L., Skoko, E., Gillen, P., & Clausen, J. A. (2016). Moving beyond disrespect and abuse: addressing the structural dimensions of obstetric violence. Reproductive Health Matters, 24(47), 47-55.