"Our patients said they learned a lot about persistent pain... including strategies to cope with it " 🌟 - Jonathan Coates, GP at St Anthony's Health Centre Jonathan shares how using creative facilitation at his GP practice has benefitted both patients & staff: medhumsplatform.org/creative-fac...

"A real gold standard in terms of facilitation." 🌟 - Thomas Ward, Clinical Psychologist Lecturer @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social Read our written interview with Thomas and the AVATAR3 team as they tell us about their experiences of creative facilitation: medhumsplatform.org/creative-fac...

"Creative facilitation has been transformative in the way that we enable research culture progress at Durham University." 🌟 - Andrew Moss, Research Culture Manager @durham.ac.uk Read Andrew's full written interview on our website: medhumsplatform.org/creative-fac...

Look it's @coreenanne.bsky.social! @durhamimh.bsky.social

The December edition of our e-bulletin is out 🌟 and it is jam-packed with news, publications and upcoming events from the Discovery Research Platform and the Institute for Medical Humanities! Read it here: 👇 mailchi.mp/0381d93475e9...

On Monday 24 November, the Moving Bodies Lab Bridging Fellow @danielpjones.bsky.social facilitated an international roundtable titled ‘Towards Tourettic Studies: The Future of Tourette Syndrome Research’. Read Daniel's recap of the event here: medhumsplatform.org/towards-tour...

Excited to be launching this new series of online talks, running Feb-July 2026. We'll be talking to a bioengineer, an immersive reality specialist, a visual artist, a glass artist, and a speculative designer on how a whole range of visual & material practices can transform healthcare. Sign up below!

📣 Introducing Lab Coat Lunches: A new free online event series from the Visual & Material Lab! 🥼 Starting in February 2026, these events will explore visual and material practices within and beyond the medical humanities. Find out more: medhumsplatform.org/lab-coat-lun...

In the final of our 'Recalibrating Stigma' mini-takeover, Caroline Law and Harriet Cooper explores how stigma operates in relation to reproductive norms. thepolyphony.org/2025/12/05/r...

Are you a healthcare worker and/or interested in chronic pain and mental health? 📅 Next week on Thursday 11 December, join us at @durham.ac.uk for a conversation around 'Deprescribing in Pain and Mental Health' 💊 Find out more & reserve your free ticket: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/deprescrib...

In a new publication, Órla Murray, IMH Honorary Fellow, reflects on her diagnosis of ulcerative colitis in the context of a feminist queer crip approach. Read our news article and the access the full article here: medhumsplatform.org/crip-guts-st...

Postdoctoral Research Associate Kate Marks, part of the Moving Bodies Lab and @durham.ac.uk Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences has been awarded a Visiting Fellowship to Linköping University! Read more from Kate in our news article here: medhumsplatform.org/durham-to-li...

Welcome to Darren Scantlebury-Watson, who joins the Operations Team in the Discovery Research Platform as a Finance Coordinator. We're excited to have him on board! 🥳 medhumsplatform.org/welcoming-da...

Applications are now open for our 2026 International Medical Humanities PhD Summer School! The Summer School is held jointly with the Centre for Medical Humanities and Bioethics at @liu.se. Apply by 16 February 2026 👉 tinyurl.com/Phd-summer-s...

Órla Meadhbh Murray introduces the Gut Feelings course: a space for people to narrate, explore, and challenge their experience of gut symptoms. thepolyphony.org/2025/12/01/g...

A reminder that this fantastic event is taking place on Thursday and Friday next week - the programme has just been finalised and we are very excited for it! 🤩

📣 Applications are open for our 2026-27 Medical Humanities in Practice Research Fellowship scheme! The scheme supports professionals and researchers from health or voluntary and community sectors to develop research within the medical humanities. Apply by 30 Jan:

Our partners at the National Poetry Centre and the South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Teaching Trust are seeking contributions to the Hope Collective 2.0 – exploring how, when and in what format poetry could support connection 🫶 Submissions close 11 December 👇 www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...

“Am I Queer Enough?” @davidwoodhead.bsky.social reflects on visibility, ethics, and contradictions as a a middle-aged gay man in recovery and a mental health researcher. Read more in the journal from @durhamimh.bsky.social 👇 thepolyphony.org/2025/11/24/am-i-queer-enough/

Why not start next week off with a discussion about the future critically engaged directions for #TouretteSyndrome #research? The event features the wonderful Rena Zito, Danni Phoenix-Kane, Dan Whittaker and Diana Beljaars (and your's truly!) @durhamimh.bsky.social www.dur.ac.uk/research/ins...

Join us on Monday for this online symposium 'Towards Tourettic Studies' 👇

2025 may be winding down but our events calendar is not! 📆 From reading groups to seminars, online talks to in-person conversations, there is plenty going on at the IMH throughout the rest of November and December. Read our latest newsletter to find out more 👇 mailchi.mp/e9a1d07e9700...

Not long left to apply to be an editor at the Polyphony!!

Delighted to announce the appointment of a new IMH Co-Director Katrin Wehling-Giorgi. We look forward to working with you, Katrin! www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...

Great to see Élaina's expertise along with our @the-polyphony.bsky.social piece 'Being a masking crip killjoy' making an appearance here! 🤩

Just under a week left to apply for 3 x Editorial roles @the-polyphony.bsky.social! Come and join our stellar team!

We are pleased to welcome a new member of the team: Xiao Ge has joined as Guest Editor for the Polyphony Meets China (PMC) project! Welcome Xiao! thepolyphony.org/2025/11/10/n...

💃🎶 Last week's Research Cabaret led by @louisecreechan.bsky.social and @maryrobbo.bsky.social was a resounding success! Catch up on what we got up to as part of @beinghumanfest.bsky.social 👇 tinyurl.com/yntr9362

Congratulations to our v. own Alex Broadbent on the publication of The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Medicine! 🎉 👏

Xiaohong Liu introduces the concept and history of Chinese tea therapy, alongside its contemporary practice at Hunan Cancer Hospital in China: thepolyphony.org/2025/10/28/c...

Claire Jeantils and @sarawasson.bsky.social reflect on the experience of translating Wasson’s article “Before Narrative” into French, exploring the challenges and opportunities the process revealed for the field of medical humanities. thepolyphony.org/2025/11/05/t...

📢 @durham.ac.uk has announced the competition for eight PhD Studentships in Transformative Humanities, supported by our AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award and the Faculties of Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences, for candidates starting October 2026. Find out more 👇 www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...

Tricks and treats with the #RatsOfConfluence

📅 Join us on Tuesday 4 November for a seminar on Violence, Trauma & Memory: The Causes and Impacts of Moral Injury. This hybrid event is free to attend either in person at the Institute for Medical Humanities, or online. Find out more and book tickets:

We're getting excited for our @beinghumanfest.bsky.social Research Cabaret event next week! 🤩 Check out some of the amazing performers you can look forward to in the thread below 🧵 👇

📣 The Northern Network for Medical Humanities Research is pleased to present RETHINKING RIGOUR, a two-day symposium exploring creative-critical research in medical humanities. 📅 4-5 December 2025 Find out more about the event and book your free tickets 👇

📆 Join us at the Recovery College Collective for 'Challenging Gut Stigma' - an event which is part of the Festival of Social Science, on 5 November 2-4pm. Find out more and book your free tickets 👇 www.eventbrite.com/e/challengin...

Throughout October and November @danielpjones.bsky.social, artist and researcher in the Moving Bodies Lab, is undertaking a dance-based artist residency at Dance City Newcastle 🩰 Read about it in our blog post 👇 medhumsplatform.org/exploring-mo...

The Polyphony @the-polyphony.bsky.social is hiring three new editorial roles! 🖋️ Two General Editors and one Reviews Editor. Closing date 23.59 GMT on 17 November 2025. Click the link for more information & to apply! thepolyphony.org/2025/10/27/w...

📅 Join us on Monday 24 November for an online interdisciplinary symposium on Tourette Syndrome, imagining a future of Tourettic Studies that is looking beyond the syndrome, featuring Bridging Fellow @danielpjones.bsky.social. Find out more & register here 👇 medhumsplatform.org/event/toward...

We're hiring 3 new editors! 2 general and 1 for reviews! thepolyphony.org/2025/10/27/w...

What is the future of Tourette Syndrome research, beyond the 'syndrome'? I'm really excited to be facilitating a remote roundtable of provocations with these folks. Why not come along, and see what the future of interdisciplinary TS research holds? Tickets⬇️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/towards-to...

@cforsdick.bsky.social concludes the @readingbodies.bsky.social takeover and discusses how this project contributes to rethinking the medical humanities in ways that are simultaneously multilingual, transnational and translational. thepolyphony.org/2025/10/24/m...

Tickets for this year's Research Cabaret #BetweentheLines are selling fast! 🎶 💃 Feat. performances from @louisecreechan.bsky.social, Ruben Verwaal, @danielpjones.bsky.social, Emily Davis & @georgiapunton.bsky.social Get your tickets while you still can! @beinghumanfest.bsky.social

I'm planning an interactive workshop on the senses and medical humanities, to be held in Leeds in July 2026. It will involve creative practitioners, academics, and clinicians. If this is something you'd be interested in attending, please drop me a message or reply to this post and we can chat more!

More dance breaks required! 💃🕺 Emily Davis, Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Moving Bodies Lab, was invited to facilitate participatory dance activities at two major arts and health events in the UK @dusportexsci.bsky.social Read about it here 👇 medhumsplatform.org/re-thinking-...

A warm welcome to all the IMH Fellows and @durham.ac.uk staff joining us at the launch of our new IMH Research Themes this afternoon! 🚀 Find out more about our six interdisciplinary research strands for 2025-7 here 👉 tinyurl.com/3az9c8jb

Interested in our MA in Medical Humanities? 🤔 Join our course tutors tomorrow evening (23 October) at 7pm for a short overview and an opportunity to ask questions. More info & sign up here 👇 www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...

We're pleased to share the publication of 'Changing Gears: Findings from a North East participatory project' 🛞 📖 Find out more & download the brochure 👇 medhumsplatform.org/changing-gea...

📢 We are currently seeking a Communications Intern! We're looking for a @durham.ac.uk student to work alongside our friendly team to promote IMH events & activities 💬 📅 Deadline for applications is 11 November 2025 For more information & to apply please visit: www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...