Professor Ann Bowling is Visiting professor and social scientist at the University of Southampton. Her research focus is on measuring quality of life of older people, patients' experiences and expectations, and equity of access to services. Her first research post was with Professor Ann Cartwright at the former Institute for Social Studies in Medical Care (conducting a national survey of elderly widowed people and their supporters), followed by Hounslow Social Services (survey of needs of older people in residential care in Ealing Hammersmith and Hounslow), and the National Children's Bureau (analysing the National Child Development Study). She has worked in public health and primary health care settings including The London & St Bartholomew's Hospitals' Medical Colleges, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) - and at University College London (UCL), as Professor of Health Services Research for 15 years. This was followed by St George's, University of London (SGUL), as Professor of Health Care of Older People, before joining Southampton. Best selling books include topics of quality of life measurement, ageing and quality of life, and research methods (all published by the McGraw-Hill Education, Open University Press). The Tale of Oscar Pigeon was published in 2022, and Research Methods in Health 5th edition is due out in 2023.