The Arts Health Research Intensive is our flagship, annual training programme led in partnership with the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine. The week-long residential course offers a rich introduction to the evidence base around arts in health and fundamentals of evaluation and research. It provides knowledge, skills and networking opportunities that can help advance a career in the field.  

We are delighted to be recruiting for our next course taking place 13 – 17 May 2024, at Britten Pears Arts, Suffolk, UK (book here!). A question we often get asked by prospective delegates is: what can people achieve following the course with the skills and knowledge acquired? In this blog, we share feedback from the last cohort and offer ‘case studies’ outlining what some of our participants have got up to since completing the course. 

 

An enriching experience

We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback following the Research Intensive each year since 2018 when it began. Here is some feedback from our last cohort: 

  • Most participants were very satisfied with the course overall 
  • They were especially satisfied with the course content and design, which received average ratings of 8.9 and 8.4, respectively, on a 1 – 10 scale (1 = poor, 10 = excellent)  
  • The faculty that delivered the course was also highly regarded by the participants, with every faculty member receiving an excellent average rating > 9, on the same scale  
  • 97% would recommend the programme to others – that is nearly everyone, and something we are incredibly proud of! 

To put this feedback into perspective, have a look at some quotes from past participants we recently shared on our social media.  

 

Looking beyond the course

Networking and making new connections are central to the Research Intensive. We facilitate this beyond our in-person course through creating private online spaces to encourage ongoing communication, and many choose to share contact details to keep in touch.  

A key part of this is continuing to share updates on arts and health projects, successes and achievements, and we are delighted to have permission from 5 previous delegates to share these stories with you.  

Read on to explore what these delegates have been up to following the course, putting their new knowledge and skills into practice! 

Clare | Organising policy engagement

During the Research Intensive, we invite delegates to choose a project to use as a case study throughout the week, whereby delegates learn how to apply research tools to their chosen project. Clare began the process of imagining London as a creative health city. This work built to the incredibly successful London Creative Health City: Building it Together event. In November 2023 over 350 people interested in the intersections of health and culture came together to take part in a day of exchange and reflection, boundary pushing and action planning to imagine London as a creative health capital city, laying the building blocks to see it become reality. Clare has applied the skills that she learned during the Intensive to develop the policy engagement process ensuring that lived experience and seldom heard voices were at the heart of policy making.  

Cat | Making arts and health more inclusive

Many people who participate in the Research Intensive describe the confidence it provides them to set up their own arts and health initiatives. Following the Research Intensive, Cat founded Music Anywhere, an arts in health organisation that harnesses the wellbeing benefits of music to support and engage people where they are and as they are. They recently ran Hangout in the Wild, the first inclusive music and arts festival for people with a learning disability or additional needs in mid-Wales. Knowledge of the wider landscape of arts and health gained from the Research Intensive has supported Cat in developing this work. 

Georgina | Advancing existing arts and health projects

A key focus of the Research Intensive is learning how to design and implement an arts intervention, alongside choosing appropriate methods and approaches to explore the outcomes of an intervention. Georgina has applied this knowledge to her work on the Lullaby Project, a creative health programme for caregivers and their babies. In spring, she worked with the Sudanese community in Toxteth, as summarised in this film. Currently, she is in the process of delivering an 18-week neonatal intervention, following a very successful pilot project.  

Catherine | Improving arts and health access in healthcare settings

During the Research Intensive, we explore the psycho-physiological, social, and behavioural effects of the arts, providing an understanding of the role of the arts in healthcare. Catherine has applied this knowledge in her role as Arts in Health Coordinator for Hywel Dda University Health Board (the local health board of NHS Wales). The board helps to promote and encourage the use of the arts in healthcare, and Catherine is currently putting together an arts and health charter to put creativity at the heart of healthcare in West Wales.  

In addition to her work for Hywel Dda University Health Board, Catherine has also worked with Health Education Improvement Wales (HEIW) to produce an explainer video about arts and health for healthcare professionals and with Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) on the Arts Boost programme, offering arts activities for children and young people on waiting lists. 

Jennifer | Gathering knowledge in a book

One of the highlights of the Research Intensive is meeting people from all around the world and engaging in international knowledge-exchange. Jennifer has taken knowledge that she gained from the Research Intensive to Austria, applying it to her work for Arts for Health Austria and new book on arts and health. She is also the artistic co-director of the Austrian music programme for those affected by long COVID-19 and works on several other creative and research projects. 

 

The Arts Health Research Intensive attracts a diverse range of people and the career trajectories of those who attend following the course are just as diverse, as we have explored in this blog. It is a course suitable for anyone with a background or interest in the arts, healthcare, community health or social care, and research, and who wishes to learn more about the field and meet others who share their interests. No research experience is necessary and all levels of experience are welcome. So, if you are keen to become more engaged in arts and health, consider applying for the 2024 Arts Health Research Intensive! Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.  

Thank you to Clare, Cat, Georgina, Catherine and Jennifer for sharing your experiences to be included in this blog. We are grateful for your time and support.