Health Humanities Medal 2018 Showcasing the Arts and Humanities As a Route Towards Better Health Tuesday 11 September WELCOME
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Health Humanities Medal 2018 Showcasing the arts and humanities as a route towards better health Tuesday 11 September WELCOME The Health Humanities Medal highlights the distinctive value of arts and humanities research in helping to improve the health and wellbeing of the population. It also helps to promote and showcase just what we can achieve when we work across the borders between subject areas. Through their collaborations with colleagues in medicine and various other disciplines, groups and organisations, the researchers shortlisted for the award have shown the value of these synergies in so many ways. Sometimes they’ve shown Professor Andrew Thompson how medical or scientific literacy supplies insights in core areas Executive Chair, Arts & Humanities Research Council of research in the humanities. Sometimes it’s been the reverse, (AHRC) proving the value of the arts and humanities to healthcare and beyond – perhaps especially where conditions have a cultural “cause” requiring a cultural solution. Or where knowledge of social, religious and historical context can help deal with sensitive issues in hard-to-reach communities. Arts and humanities researchers have also shown how they can help other professionals understand the real life complexity of experiencing an illness, and contribute to a deeper understanding of its causes. Tonight we celebrate their pioneering spirit and the strength of purpose that comes from fruitful collaboration – let’s use their success as a springboard to seize the opportunities ahead. Andrew @ahrcpress#HealthHumanitiesMedal @artsandhumanitiesresearchcouncil The Arts & Humanities Research Council and Wellcome Trust’s Health Humanities Medal 2018 event will be held at: The Thames Pavilion House of Commons London, SW1A 0AA Tuesday 11 September 4pm-6pm PROGRAMME 4.00pm Guests arrive 4.30pm Welcome speech by Justin Tomlinson MP 4.35pm Opening remarks by Professor Andrew Thompson, Chief Executive, AHRC 4.40pm The Awards - Best Doctoral or Early Career Research - Best Research - Inspiration Award - Best International Research - Leadership Award - Health Humanities Medal winner 5.00pm Closing speech by Sir Mark Walport, Chief Executive, UK Research and Innovation 5.10pm High tea is served A SHADOW NHS The arts and humanities are “the public’s greatest route towards health and wellbeing”, says the world’s first Professor of Health Humanities. Professor Paul Crawford from Nottingham training doctors and sometimes nurses than University is known as the ‘founding father’ of anything else. It was focused on the history this rapidly developing, global discipline, and of medicine, the philosophy of medicine, currently leads various Arts & Humanities anatomical drawing etc. It seemed like Research Council (AHRC)-funded research a closed shop for a particular or specific projects applying the arts and humanities to professional population.” inform and transform healthcare, health and wellbeing. Instead, Professor Crawford felt research should be more focused on the needs of the “Initially I set up research groups to study general public and their sense of what does the language that is used in healthcare and them good. went on to examine how mental illness is represented in fiction,” he says. “But I soon “We began to develop a more inclusive wanted to incorporate the rich, creative work and applied approach,” he says. “And, with across the arts and humanities more broadly; the help of the AHRC, who immediately I decided that I wanted to set up a new field recognised the value of this, we forged ahead!” to focus research within this area. Among other projects, the AHRC funded the “I felt that up until this point, medical International Health Humanities Network humanities work was rather limited to which has influenced the rapid growth medical perspectives on the arts and of research units and courses in health humanities, and more geared towards humanities worldwide. through collective artistic practice. “We all depend on many resources,” says Professor Crawford. “We need medical resources, of course. But not everything in our society that brings us health and wellbeing needs to be directed by medics. Not everything needs a medical model or a medical explanation. Whether you are a doctor, a nurse, an occupational therapist, a patient, a friend or family carer – the arts and humanities are available to you. For example, if you have low to moderate depression, “Not everything for health and wellbeing reading groups can help. This is just one of comes from professionals, from dedicated many examples.” therapists,” says Professor Crawford. But while it might be tempting for some to “Members of the general public can make dismiss “empowering patients” as part of a themselves and others better through many cost-cutting exercise within a struggling NHS, different creative actions and activities. The Professor Crawford is quick to dismiss this health humanities are a shadow NHS. They argument. are the public’s greatest route towards health and wellbeing. They are not there to replace “This isn’t about saying ‘we’ve got less healthcare but to give everyone a better shot resources, so you need to sort yourselves at a happier life. We see now a much more out and leave the medics alone’,” he says. democratised recognition that the arts and “It’s about saying that there are wonderful humanities are as important as blood tests, resources – resources beyond what medical injections or pills for our wellbeing. You professionals can provide – and you don’t don’t need a prescription to go to an arts or need ‘official’ permission to access them. drumming group or join a choir and yet this We need to get off the hook that medical, can bring huge benefits.” scientific knowledge is the only game in town.” But no patient is an island, and Professor “What would happen to public wellbeing Crawford’s research has also demonstrated overnight if people couldn’t read, share people with health problems, family carers and stories or tell jokes? Or if they couldn’t watch health, social care and education professionals films, enjoy theatre, dance, visit museums can improve health and wellbeing together and galleries? Or sing, play, listen or dance through creative activities – using creative to music? Or engage with the many other practice as mutual recovery. crafts, creative sports and activities going on across the land? I can’t imagine that world. Through the International Health Humanities Without the arts and humanities – aka health Network there is now a substantial body of humanities – we would be in a really, really work looking at how communities can recover bad place.” THE JUDGES’ VIEW (Left to right) Professor Paul Crawford, Dr Matthew Smith, Professor Nicola Shaughnessy, Dr Brian Lobel and Dr Catherine Stones. It’s vital that we nurture awards like this and recognise the excellent work in the arts and humanities making a difference to health and wellbeing, says one of the judges, Dr Catherine Stones, Associate Professor in Graphic Design at the University of Leeds. It was a privilege to take part in the judging Leadership category also shone out for me. process and to be able to reflect on so These nominations clearly highlighted how many diverse and exciting projects. The some amazing individuals have shaped the commitment shown by researchers and discipline of medical and health humanities practitioners to improve the health of and continue to inspire the next generation of others through the arts and humanities researchers and practitioners. was very impressive, and at times quite humbling to learn about. It was particularly We had many nominations of excellent exciting to see the large number of projects quality for each category to examine, discuss directly engaging with specific international and evaluate. The shortlisting process was communities in much need of health exhausting but intellectually stimulating as improvement. we weighed up the strengths and weaknesses of each nomination (over 80 in total) against The research articulated in these the criteria. It’s vital that we nurture awards nominations was of excellent quality with like this to continually recognise the excellent some astonishing achievements evident for work in the arts and humanities that really early career researchers in particular. The makes a difference to health and wellbeing. Dr Brian Lobel, Reader in Theatre at the University of Chichester and Health Humanities Medal 2018 judge, was astounded by the remarkable collection of research projects which demonstrates some incredible work, that is becoming more and more vital every day. Being on a shortlisting committee is both an Against a backdrop of a challenging honour and a heartbreaking chore, particularly environment in the NHS and a devaluation of on an award like this which honours a field the individuals whose lives are impacted by in which researchers across the UK are illness, disability and other health needs, it is engaged and excelling at in so many different more urgent than ever for our Universities and ways. Above all, our group of assessors researchers to advocate for the dignity and (Left to right) Professor Paul Crawford, were overwhelmed by the broad range of care of all people in both the UK and abroad. Dr Matthew Smith, Professor Nicola Shaughnessy, Dr Brian Lobel and Dr Catherine Stones. communities actively involved in research, and We must also ensure that our research is the range of innovative methodologies used to another articulation of how the UK is, and can answer or