In this edition of the SBB Spotlight, we’re featuring Dr Hei Wan (Karen) Mak, Senior Research Fellow within our group. Karen is an epidemiologist specialising in predictors and impacts of the arts on health and wellbeing using population-based surveys. She is also the recipient of the new Jameel Arts & Health Lab Senior Research Fellowship in Global Epidemiology. In this blog we discuss what research questions she will be focusing on during the fellowship, her journey to this point in her career, as well as the projects and hobbies that keep her busy beyond research.
Q: You’ve written over 35 publications on arts and health. What’s one thing you’ve learned from your research that you think more people should know?
Based on the analysis of population-based and longitudinal data, it becomes increasingly evident that participation in arts, social, cultural, and community activities, including painting, dancing, music, theatre, heritage, reading, or volunteering, can enhance both our mental and physical health and wellbeing. This observation holds true across various age groups, generations, and countries.
Q: You’re the recipient of the new Jameel Arts & Health Senior Research Fellowship in Global Epidemiology, congratulations! What will you be working on during the fellowship?
Thank you – I am thrilled about this opportunity! During the fellowship, I will be harmonising and analysing data from international cohort studies and cross-country surveys to understand the global patterns, predictors and impacts of arts engagement. My analyses will address three key research questions:
- How stark are the global inequalities in access to the arts?
- What are the enablers and barriers to engagement at individual level (e.g., demographic and psychological factors), neighbourhood level (e.g., social contact, neighbourhood trust, neighbourhood safety, urbanicity), and country level (e.g., country-level leisure time, country wealth, inequalities, healthcare expenditures)?
- Are the benefits of arts engagement found across countries and population subgroups?
In addition to conducting these analyses, I am excited to connect with researchers worldwide, share knowledge, collaborate on projects, and work with the WHO and Jameel Arts & Health Lab on public engagement and the development of policy and practice reports.
Findings from this fellowship will provide a deeper understanding of whether the health benefits of arts engagement are universal and how we can encourage more people to engage. They can help provide actionable insights for policymakers and arts practitioners to reduce inequalities, making the arts an integral part of our lives and ultimately enhancing the population-level quality of life through the arts.
Q: Another exciting project you’ve been working on is the Jameel Arts & Health Lab–Lancet global series on the health benefits of the arts, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation. Tell us more and when can we expect to read the papers?
This is one of my favourite papers! It examines how many people hold an arts organisation membership and their characteristics across countries. It aims to fill a crucial gap in current literature: does a social gradient in arts engagement exist globally?
Previous research has primarily focused on individual Western and developed countries, leaving a gap in understanding whether this unequal engagement pattern is present worldwide. To investigate this, we collaborated with the WHO, Jameel Arts & Health Lab, researchers from Japan, Korea, and Australia, and sought feedback from a wider international cross-sectoral research team working on other parts of the Series. We analysed cross-country data from the World Values Survey and employed advanced statistical modeling to understand global engagement rates and identify persistent or region-specific enablers and barriers to arts organisation membership. We believe the findings from this paper could guide local, national, and international bodies in increasing access to the arts.
The paper should be ready in Summer 2025. In the meantime, you can subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates on this and other projects.
Q: You’re now a Senior Research Fellow, working on important global projects, how did you get into the field of arts in health?
My journey into the field of arts in health began with my passion for understanding the social factors of people’s health and wellbeing. During my academic career, I became increasingly fascinated by the intersection of three disciplines: sociology (my background), arts (my leisure pursuit), and epidemiology/public health (my passion). Through my studies and research experiences, I found consistent evidence that engagement in the arts can support and improve our health and wellbeing and that there are various theories explaining why and how the arts exert these beneficial effects.
I have been fortunate to collaborate on a variety of projects that allowed me to explore this further. For example, working with a health geographer showed how our arts engagement may be shaped by our geographical and environmental factors. Collaborating with a genetics researcher allowed me to explore whether genetic predispositions may play a role in the relationship between arts and health. Working with a policy advisor from Historic England provided insights into whether historic built environment can foster social capital and neighourhood trust.
I’m very grateful for the opportunities that have shaped my journey. Looking ahead, I’m excited to expand my research on an international scale with an aim to establish arts engagement as a health behaviour globally through my current fellowship.
Q: You’re also the co-lead of the UCL Creative Health Community – what have you valued the most about being part of this network?
I love collaborating with and learning from talented and passionate researchers. In my role with UCL Creative Health Community, I have the opportunity to connect with students and staff who are interested in improving public health through arts and creative assets. I also enjoy supporting early career researchers in this field by providing them with opportunities to flourish, such as facilitating networking events and introducing them to researchers from different disciplines to broaden their perspectives.
Q: What about the future – what would you like to do more of?
- To continue expanding my cross-country research through collaborations with international scholars to explore and compare the rates, predictors and impacts of arts and cultural engagement globally.
- To understand the ‘active ingredients’ (components that make up an activity) and the underlying mechanisms and processes that connect arts engagement to health and wellbeing improvements.
- To understand whether and how people’s arts and cultural engagement can be enhanced through capabilities, opportunities and motivations (borrowing from the COM-B behavioural change framework).
Q: We like to end the Spotlight with a slightly more personal question! Do you have any arts-based hobbies or interests you like to immerse yourself in during your free time?
Yes, I enjoy reading, and when I’m not reading, I like reading people’s comments and feedback on the books they’ve read on Goodreads. I miss dancing salsa. I used to do it when I was studying as there was a local salsa class very close to where I lived.
You can find Karen on Twitter/X.
The Jameel Arts & Health Lab, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), is a global initiative leveraging scientific evidence to drive the integration of the arts into healthcare. The Lab was co-founded by WHO Regional Office for Europe, NYU Steinhardt, Community Jameel and Culturunners.