The Place of Creativity in Public Health: Researchers' perspectives
The Place of Creativity in Public Health: Researchers' perspectives on creating a Midlands Network
In September 2024, we hosted two roundtable discussions exploring The Place of Creativity in Public Health; the second of which featured researchers from across the Midlands. The event came about following a number of Directors of Public Health from the Midlands joining our Creative Health Champions Network. They said that one of the enabling factors for their work was the development of Creative Health research networks with local universities, so that evidence for Creative Health could be gathered with local and hyperlocal contexts. This would indicate, more appropriately, how Creative Health could impact the unique demographics of an area and align to the strategic priorities of a local healthcare system, such as Public Health in local authorities.
In this roundtable the primary topic of discussion is ‘What would a Midlands Creative Health Network look like?’ ‘Do we have the capacity to develop a network?’ and ‘Who/what is required to make this possible?’
To view 'The Place of Creativity in Public Health: Researchers' Perspectives' full discussion, click on the video below:
Who was in the panel?
Chairing our panel was our Midlands Creative Health Associate, Dr Jane Hearst. Jane is a Doctor of Creative Health; during her PhD she developed the Creative Health Communication Framework for practitioners working in mental health and wellbeing. In her role at NCCH, she is responsible for advocating for Creative Health within senior health contexts and developing local creative health strategies/ networks.
Joining her was Dr Nuala Morse who is a Lecturer in Museum Studies at University of Leicester. Nuala recently co-developed Leicester’s Creative Health Network, alongside Sallie Varnam, the Creative Health and Heritage Senior Project Manager at University
Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. The Creative Health Network is an interdisciplinary network which is part of the University of Leicester Heritage Hub. It aims to promote interdisciplinary, community-based collaborations and share research resources across the Leicester/shire region. It fosters a membership of researchers, community and civic partners, patient groups, health professionals, arts organisations and creative practitioners.
Representing research into creative social prescribing was Dr Robert Dean. Robert is the Deputy Head of School of Creative Arts at University of Lincoln. He is currently developing a project which is collecting 100 video testimonials from people who have experienced social prescribing programmes. His upcoming research will be looking at creative health from an international perspective.
Next on the panel was Dr Rachel Marsden who is a curator, consultant, researcher, educator and arts writer. Rachel recently started an NIHR Public Health Research Fellowship at University of Birmingham/ Keele University. She is also a Senior Lecturer in Academic Practice at University of the Arts London (UAL) and a Regional Champion for our sister organisation, the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance (CHWA). She approaches Creative Health through the lens of someone with professional artistic practice, lived experience of dynamic disability, and a quality researcher. Her upcoming research will explore VCFSE organisations delivering arts-based interventions with potential health impacts to understand more about the challenges faced and approaches used to tackle and reduce health inequalities.
Olivia Toye, Public Health Engagement Team Lead at Worcestershire County Council offered a unique perspective from within Local Authority, demonstrating the need and opportunities for Public Health partnerships and engagement. In her work, Olivia leads community research into reducing inequalities, systems working, and utilising multi-method approaches. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Creative Health MASc degree from UCL - the first Masters level ‘Arts and Sciences’ degree, with a focus on the intersection of the arts and health sciences.
Fellow alumni of the MASc programme, Kathleen Wright,
also joined us on the panel. Kathleen is a Public Health Research Officer at Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham. The Public Health Researchers in Residence are part of a pioneering Creative Health initiative, led by Birmingham City Council, which places researchers into cultural institutions in order to gather quality evidence relevant to local populations and contexts. The collaboration between these cultural institutions and the council has already seen important changes in engagement protocols, making them more relevant to health. To hear more about this, from Dr Justin Varney, you can catch up on The Place of Creativity in Public Health Directors of Public Health (DPH) panel from this event.
About the Midlands Roundtable Series
The ‘The Place of Creativity in Public Health’ roundtable was the fourth of a four-part series of roundtable discussion events showcasing Creative Health leadership in the Midlands and beyond.
To access other event recordings in the series, please visit the NCCH website at www.ncch.org.uk/news and scroll down to our blogs section.
Or visit and subscribe to our dedicated NCCH YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/@nationalcentreforcreativeh3512/playlists
These events and blog records have be organised and written by the Midlands Creative Health Associate, Jane Hearst. To discuss work happening in the Midlands region, email: jane@ncch.org.uk
