Research centres
Creative Health and Wellbeing Group
  1. People
  2. Research
  3. Publications
  4. Events and opportunities
    1. People
    2. Research
    3. Publications
    4. Events and opportunities
Creative Health and Wellbeing Group

Creative Health and Wellbeing Group

The Creative Health and Wellbeing Research Group (CHWG) is an interdisciplinary research group jointly run by the School of Communication & Creativity and the School of Health and Medical Sciences.

We produce impact-led research that integrates the arts, humanities, and health sciences, generating creative initiatives supporting health and wellbeing. Moving beyond dualisms between social and medical models, whilst respecting disciplinary integrity, the CHWG blends arts and science approaches, creating new research agendas and methods appropriate to exploration of health and well-being.

Our overall purpose is to promote innovative and inclusive approaches to health and wellbeing using socially engaged research. Creative Health is understood as the use of creative and cultural activities, including performing arts (music and dance), visual arts, film, literature to improve physical and mental wellbeing and resilience.

The group will possess a tripartite focus on:

  • Research, Practice and Creative Methods across disciplines (Research)
  • Training, Pedagogy and Creative Practices (Training)
  • Creating community and public engagement (Publics).

Our aims are to:

  1. Act as an externally-facing entity promoting interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research excellence by bringing together scholars and practitioners from diverse disciplines to explore the intersections of creativity, culture, and health
  2. Create fundamentally new applied knowledge focused on impact
  3. Facilitate community-engaged research and partnerships that prioritise co-creation, equity, and culturally responsive practices
  4. Advance the understanding, rigor, and innovative application of arts-based methodologies to generate meaningful data, impact, and drive evidence-based practice within health and care research
  5. Facilitating knowledge mobilization by bridging the gap between research and real-world application by collaborating with NHS Trusts, policymakers, and cultural partners to embed creative health into standard clinical practice
  6. Develop a holistic framework for health research and pedagogy, designed for both clinical practitioners and arts-based researchers/practitioners
  7. Provide an environment for research training, including mentoring opportunities for early or mid-career researchers by connecting them to senior scholars in the group.