The Health Humanities cluster is a network of colleagues from across all faculties within the University of Nottingham with an interest in advancing the impact of the arts and humanities in healthcare, health and wellbeing.

We facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations and, through the development of partnerships within the region, nationally and internationally, use our work to benefit wider society.

Strategic priorities

• Expand our Health Humanities network of those interested in interdisciplinary collaboration across the University and beyond
• Engage with communities and individuals, healthcare and related organisations, public and creative sectors, locally, nationally and internationally
• Build collaborations with those in need of better health, healthcare and wellbeing
• Foster and support projects that apply Health Humanities approaches to real-world challenges

What we are working on

Currently teams and individuals are working on the following questions:

• How can the arts enhance health practice and communication?
• How can we better understand health concepts through the humanities (historical, theological, philosophical, artistic, etc.)?
• How can we improve healthcare communications?

 Topics include

• Narratives of illness, health, recovery and wellbeing
• Adverse life-experiences (loss, grief, pain, inequalities, racism)
• Trauma
• Emotion and health
• Reproductive, sexual, and gendered aspects of health
• Health and the environment, pollution, and climate change
• Ageing, caring, old age, and life cycles
• Young people and mental health
• Decolonisation of research methods

Leadership team

Professor Heike Bartel

School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies, Liberal Arts

Professor Svenja Adolphs

School of English

Dr Teresa Baron

School of Humanities, Department of Philosophy

Contact us

University of Nottingham colleagues who would like to get involved in the Health Humanities cluster should email sue.hopcroft@nottingham.ac.uk (Research Development Manager, Faculty of Arts) to be added to the mailing list.

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