This is a brilliant exhibition of some amazing contemporary art inspired by Lafcadio Hearn - and if you haven't explored Ushaw College (I hadn't) it's a very cool site. Lots of good Victoriana. Congrats to Fraser (@durhamimh.bsky.social), Claire, Steven, Kieran and the Kwaidan exhibition team!

Excited to share the first post of a takeover from @queercircle.bsky.social on the concept of 'queer space' as a site of health creation. Thanks to Research and Health Lead Frances Williams for setting the scene. thepolyphony.org/2025/09/15/q...

We are pleased to welcome Xiao Ge, joining our Discovery Research Platform as a Bridging Fellow in the Narrative Practices Lab and @languagesdurham.bsky.social 🤩 Read more about Xiao's work on reframing postpartum well-being in this interview 👇 medhumsplatform.org/introducing-...

Excited to welcome @danielpjones.bsky.social, who joins us as a Bridging Fellow in the Moving Bodies Lab and @dusportexsci.bsky.social. Find out more about Daniel's work on embodied experiences of Tourette Syndrome & the development of creative, inclusive research methods 🤩

The gist:   Just as medical educators today employ pedagogical tools from humanities in teaching, researchers can employ methodological tools from the humanities to pursue novel lines of scientific enquiry & insights unattainable through solely biomedical frameworks. #MedEdSky (3/4)

Grateful for a rich few days in Oslo with the Curating Cultural Heritage for the Medical & Health Humanities project (MNU). Highlights: inspiring sessions at Norsk Teknisk Museum & MUNCH, deep dives into art, ethics & medicine—and a sauna swim to wrap it all up! medhumsplatform.org/curating-cul...

A warm welcome to Michelle Reeve, who joins our Discovery Research Platform as the Digital and Communications Officer! We're looking forward to working with you, Michelle! medhumsplatform.org/welcome-to-m...

Had a wonderful day at the Wheely Workshop with @durhamimh.bsky.social and the Moving Bodies Lab today. My notepad and brain are full of thoughts to reflect on about things ranging from mountain biking to prams to museums, all connecting disability, moving bodies, and public space 🤩 #AcademicSky

Just published: Inclusion and Sharing Best Practice for Academic Events Facilitation ✨ The sharing of best practice is, and always will be, more important than competing for institutional accessibility accreditations! Read my reflections here: sheffield.ac.uk/sites/defaul...

Christina Lee introduces the context behind Disability Matters' upcoming 'Online Town Hall Circus' event which will take place on the 19th of September. thepolyphony.org/2025/09/05/t...

A warm welcome to Emily Davis, who joins our Discovery Research Platform as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Moving Bodies Lab and @dusportexsci.bsky.social. We look forward to working with you, Emily! 🤩 medhumsplatform.org/introducing-...

Delighted to announce that @brettsmithprof.bsky.social from @dusportexsci.bsky.social has joined our Discovery Research Platform to co-lead the Narrative Practices Lab with @veronicaheney.bsky.social. We look forward to working with you, Brett! medhumsplatform.org/welcoming-br...

Reflecting on their work in the Copenhagen Centre for Health Research in the Humanities, Folker et al offer real insight into theory-building within and through the dynamics (& difficulties) of engaged critical medical humanities research link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Marta-Laura Cenedese and Silvia Pierosara present a new interdisciplinary project on the restorative capacity of narratives and reflect on its contribution to the field in the Italian context. thepolyphony.org/2025/09/02/r...

Delighted to welcome the University of Stirling and @npapadogian.bsky.social to the Northern Network for Medical Humanities Research Steering Group. We're looking forward to collaborating with you and your colleagues! nnmh.org.uk/university-o...

They’re back from the summer break… #RatsOfConfluence

Thank you to Harriet for such generative engagement with CROSSINGS, from which I read an excerpt, pre-release, at the Queer Medical Humanities PhD school, hosted by @durhamimh.bsky.social and co-organised by @liu.se’s Centre for Medical Humanities and Bioethics. thepolyphony.org/2025/08/22/t...

And last but never the least: The Imagination Quiz! readerbank.org/experience/imagination-quiz How do people imagine while they read? And does everyone imagine in the same way?

Thursday spotlight: VoiceMatch! readerbank.org/experience/voicematch Ever read a book, vividly imagined a character, and then watched a film or TV. adaptation only to feel that the actor’s voice was just… wrong?

Today, let's talk about In It Together: readerbank.org/experience/in-it-together In this module we will explore the relationships we have to the characters in a book.

Today's spotlight is on In-Two Minds: readerbank.org/experience/in-two-minds Stories we read can often be like an emotional rollercoaster - positive moments can make us smile, tragedy can make us tear up, and a ghost story can even give us a good scare.

It’s been a week since we launched our new website! This week, let’s take a closer look at our modules. First up, Repair. readerbank.org/experience/r...

And scene! Our time at the @edbookfest.bsky.social was exciting and rewarding! It’s not over yet – our website is still buzzing with activity, and the modules are still live online. Explore how we imagine, how we feel, how we read, and what that means for our mental health! readerbank.org

Our lead researcher @aldersonday.bsky.social joins @jennykleeman.bsky.social and Emily Postan to talk about mental health and the use of digital technologies like AI for treatment. In this shifting landscape, what considerations and safeguards are needed to embed these treatments in the mainstream?

So much unpacked at ‘The Science of Imagination’ today! Our v. own @aldersonday.bsky.social was in conversation with neurologist Adam Zeman, exploring the latest scientific research on the brain’s creative powers, from the phenomenon of ‘aphantasia’ to what happens in our minds as we imagine.

So excited about this new collaboration with @canongate.co.uk and @damianbarr.bsky.social‬ exploring the reading imagination in real time! We can’t wait to find out what the experiment reveals…

Read the full research paper here: doi.org/10.31234/osf...

The #ReaderBank Imagination Quiz aims to understand readers’ imaginations with potential to enhance mental health therapies. shorturl.at/gHVSx @thereaderbank.bsky.social @durhamimh.bsky.social @durhampsych.bsky.social @aldersonday.bsky.social @georgiapunton.bsky.social @edbookfest.bsky.social

ReaderBank has a sparkly new website! readerbank.org And new modules to help us better understand reading experiences, how the imagination works and what this means for mental health. Sign up to get involved in the world’s most ambitious study of the reading imagination! 🧵

It’s our first day at @edbookfest.bsky.social and our website has had a glow-up – go and take a look! readerbank.org

New from @durhamimh.bsky.social - the first @thereaderbank.bsky.social paper! We identify 4 factors in a new scale of reading imagery, the ReaderBank Imagination Quiz. Well done 1st author @georgiapunton.bsky.social & thanks to our partners at @edbookfest.bsky.social Cc @durhampsych.bsky.social

🔥Hot off the press! New pre-print with the v. first findings from our study of reading, the imagination and mental health in collab with @edbookfest.bsky.social doi.org/10.31234/osf...

Are you ready for tomorrow? We can't wait for our public workshop on 'Unlocking the Mind and Mental Health'. There's a surprise in store...

So exciting to forge new connections with members and partners of the book industry in our #ReaderBank2025 workshop with writers, publishers and editors at @edbookfest.bsky.social today. Thank you to everyone who contributed to our rich and rewarding discussions!

With 5 days to go for our public workshop at the @edbookfest.bsky.social, meet the team for this year! First up, @georgiapunton.bsky.social - Georgia’s background is in Psychology, and does a lot of the day-to-day work which keeps the ReaderBank afloat.

Extremely pleased to be joining @durhamimh.bsky.social's Visual & Material Lab in Sept to explore materialities of reproductive healthcare, specifically around donor conception - can't wait to get started!

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY TO US!! So excited for this to be out in the world! @annastenning.bsky.social @bergenmar.bsky.social @ainokash.bsky.social @alicehagopian.bsky.social and everyone not on BSky!

✨ Excitement! Our #ReaderBank team are heading back to @edbookfest.bsky.social next week to explore the links between reading, imagination and mental health. 📖 💡🧠 Find out more: medhumsplatform.org/readerbank-a...

Dr Fei Li explores the integration of narrative medicine and palliative care at Peking Union Medical College in China. thepolyphony.org/2025/08/01/a...

Members of the Institute for Medical Humanities' Moving Bodies Lab reflect on a series of talks and workshops exploring what it means to be slow, still, and sedentary. thepolyphony.org/2025/08/01/s...

⏳ Don't forget that today is the last day that you can take part in our survey on the use of lived experience in research! If you're a researcher working in mental health, we'd love to hear your views...

⏰ Only a day to go... Applications for the role of Digital Content & Communications Officer close TOMORROW (24 July) - if you're an experienced developer with a passion for digital content and accessible design, we'd love to hear from you! #hiring

How is subjective experience used in #mentalhealth research? We’re looking for researchers (especially neuroscientists, geneticists, big data scientists, and biomedical researchers, and non-UK researchers) to take part in a short survey, as part of the SUNRISE study. www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/774USE/

Anuj Kumar explores how a graphic narrative can convey the structural exclusion of India's healthcare system, particularly for urban migrant labourers. thepolyphony.org?p=26715

In the latest piece from the 2024 Medical Humanities International Summer School, Mercy Nqandeka and Rachel Cummings reflect on their contrasting research cultures and the implications for inquiry in the medical/health humanities. thepolyphony.org/2025/07/21/i...

The #RatsOfConfluence explore a gap in the scholarship

Surjavo Sen Gupta discusses the use of medical and artistic tools as agents of colonial subjugation by considering the phrenological enquiry of the Toda people of South India. thepolyphony.org/2025/07/16/e...

🚀 Could you be our Digital Content & Communications Officer? There's still time to apply for this exciting and dynamic role before applications close on 24 July. Find out more below 👇

Assisted Lab is hiring - please share widely! We are inviting applications for a fully funded PhD position (100%) as part of the ERC/SERI Assisted Lab team at University of St. Gallen, starting September 2025. More information here 👇 jobs.unisg.ch/offene-stell...

Joy Chen and Nkili Cooper reflect on a seminar held at Rice University’s Medical Humanities Research Institute on the topic of medical technologies and healthcare inequities. thepolyphony.org/2025/07/11/t...