Katherine Petrasek

I am a PhD candidate at the University of Exeter based in the department of Classics, Ancient History, Religion and Theology (CAHRT). My thesis is currently titled, 'Midwives, Rootcutters and Masseurs: Exploring the Figures of Greco-Roman Medical Spaces,' and focuses on the figures often overlooked by modern scholarship in ancient spaces of healing (such as the surgery and birthing room) and the status of these individuals within the healing encounter and ancient society in general. Currently, I have explored the shadowy individuals and women with professional titles who assist the physician in the Hippocratic surgical and gynaecological works. Outside of my thesis topic, I have a keen interest in medical tools and machines in the ancient Greco-Roman world, all aspects of ancient veterinary medicine, gender and medical history, mental conditions in the ancient world, and ancient surgery (more broadly).  

I am Editor in Chief for Pegasus, the post-graduate run journal for the department of Classics and Ancient History. I am currently serving as the post-graduate Research Culture Coordinator for the department of Classics and Ancient History ( a voluntary post which I began in September 2025). Since 2022, I have worked as a translator for a collaborative translation project of the Consilia of Paolo Zacchia's Quaestiones medico-legales. I completed Consilium 27 in October 2024 (link: https://jacalynduffin.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Consilium-27-petrasek.pdf).