Meet Rachel Marshall, Communications and Impact Manager at the Social Biobehavioural Research Group. Rachel works across the team and engages practitioners, policy makers and the public with our research. Read on to learn about her latest work on social prescribing, reflections on Mental Health Awareness Week, and what decision makers need to know about arts and health.
Q: Your role is complementary to the academics working in our team – could you tell us more?
Sure – so myself and also my colleague Nikita are embedded in the research group to support with communications and impact work. Engaging people in research is so important but can sometimes be viewed as a nice-to-have or gets done in a rush as projects are being wrapped up. It’s great to work with a team that is really determined that the research is informed by and useful to the “real world”. For example, if you check out our website there are of course 250 academic papers you can browse through – but we also have animations, webinar recordings, podcast episodes, accessible research summaries, policy briefs and blogs like this one. It’s definitely a team effort to make research that’s impactful and we have fantastic partners from third sector organisations, government departments, patient and public groups, and elsewhere.
Q: How did you find your way to the Social Biobehavioural Research Group?
I joined the team in 2023 and prior to this did a variety of work including leading influencing activities at a UK-wide homelessness charity, conducting policy research and evaluation in the public and third sector, and running local community projects for social change in Oxford City. When the opportunity to join this research group arose it definitely appealed – a lot of my work to date has been thinking about how we can collectively support people’s health and wellbeing, plus I’ve seen the value of creative activities first-hand as a volunteer and researcher with community art projects.
Q: What is a typical day for you?
It varies a lot! It might include some regular tasks like working on our website and newsletters, or it could be focusing on a particular strand of research, chatting to colleagues about our engagement strategy, connecting with new partners, or developing a particular publication. Right now a big focus is event planning as we gear up for our Arts Health Research Intensive, an immersive course we run at the beautiful Snape Maltings in Suffolk. This year we have nearly 50 delegates attending from 17 different countries to develop their knowledge, skills and contacts in arts and health research.
Q: You recently authored two publications about social prescribing in the USA, published last month. What was the most exciting finding?
It was exciting to see that even in quite a different landscape to the UK – one where healthcare is more privatised and insurance-based – social prescribing is still emerging as a feasible and promising approach. What I especially enjoyed about this piece of work were all the rich stories from across the US. Our case study report is peppered with quotes sharing insights from organisers. Below is one of my favourites, which describes the impact of a free glassblowing programme for veterans in Florida:
“I’ve had guys [say] that it’s given them something to look forward to. At the end of the week, they get excited. They start thinking about what they’re gonna do in the studio. It gives them hope. I always think it’s funny that all of them are like, “I’m not an artist.” I’m like, “Alright, that’s fine…”. And then they start planning things. They start sketching things, and they start doing things, and they get joy from that.. But everyone has said pretty much the same thing. That it provides them a creative outlet. It gives them time and space to kind of do their own thing and learn about patience because glass breaks. And then it allows them to be better communicators, because they have to communicate in the studio.”
Q: It’s currently Mental Health Awareness Week (12 to 18 May) and this year’s theme is community. How does this relate to your work?
I would say it’s twofold: a lot of our research points to the value of community assets for health, and then we also need a whole community of people to act on this evidence! One way we are doing this is through our Social Prescribing Youth Network (SPYN), a free network open to anyone interested in social prescribing for children and young people. This year we’re bringing together practitioners, young people, policymakers, commissioners, and researchers to discuss good practice, share resources, and grow the movement. We have our next community meet-up in June if you’d like to join!
Q: What one thing do you think policy makers should know about arts and health research?
That this is not a niche field. Our evidence report with the World Health Organization (WHO) identified over 3,500 studies showing how the arts help in preventing physical and mental health conditions as well as managing and treating illness. This has now been downloaded over 200,000 times, making it the fourth most downloaded WHO publication ever. Fortunately, given the growing evidence base, we are already seeing significant interest and uptake from policy makers in the UK and internationally. There’s plenty more to say though – if you are interested you can check out our policy-focused blog written for the new Labour Government or tune into Prof Daisy Fancourt’s upcoming presentation at the APPG for Creative Health in Westminster.
Q: And finally, given the group’s research on the benefits of hobbies, do you have any particular interests outside of work?
Yes! I’ve been playing badminton and making art pretty consistently throughout my life (the latter tends to be envelope–sized drawings I can post to friends and family rather than anything more elaborate). But I am also a serial dabbler and have dipped my toes into other activities including bikepacking, paddleboarding, and an (extremely brief but enjoyable) foray into parkour. I’m a big proponent of trying something new!
You can find Rachel behind the scenes across the Research Group’s socials – LinkedIn, Bluesky, X/Twitter, and our newsletter.