Meet the Team | The School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History

Meet the Team

Professor John Swinton

Responsible leader of the Friendship House Team. Professor in Practical Theology and Master of Christ College at the University of Aberdeen.

John Swinton is Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care and Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen. For more than a decade John worked as a registered mental health nurse. He has published widely within the area of mental health, dementia, disability theology, spirituality and healthcare, qualitative research and pastoral care. John is the author of a number of monographs including Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Time Fullness and Gentle Discipleship. Hiis latest book is calleds book Dementia: Living in the Memories of God, for which he won the Archbishop of Canterbury's Ramsey Prize for excellence in theological writing .(http://www.michaelramseyprize.org.uk/) .

Professor Brian Brock

Professor of Moral and Practical Theology at the University of Aberdeen and one of the main supervisors of the students doing PhD work in the fields of disability and ethics. Father of three children, his oldest son Adam has Down Syndrome and Autism, and features regularly in his thinking and writing.

Léon van Ommen

Born and raised in the Netherlands and having lived most of his adult life in Belgium, Léon moved to Aberdeen in 2016. He works as Lecturer in Practical Theology, in the areas of liturgy and worship, suffering and healing, justice and reconciliation, and recently in disability theology and autism. In 2018 Léon did research with four L'Arche communities, in the UK, France and Kenya, finding out what joy looks like in the context of L'Arche and in the life and work of Jean Vanier. Léon continues to work on the intersection of liturgy, disability, and autism.

Stephanie Brock

A nurse by training, Stephanie has worked to support the Friendship House project since its beginnings. Stephanie, along with Brian, raises three children and appreciates that her oldest son Adam has taught her most of what she knows about friendship across boundaries.

Topher Endress

Fellow, Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability. Topher is an ordained minister through the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and avid runner. His current research involves a project on autistic experiences of liturgy and his dissertation which seeks to uncover the link between Christian spatial imaginations and the production of disabilities.

Julie Land

Originally from Washington, Julie loves to be outdoors and is always up for a fun and creative activity

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