Creative Health and the Medical Humanities, Fostering Empathy through a Lens.

Summary

This PhD topic intersects with the fields of Visual Art, Photography, Art Psychotherapy, Creative Health and the Medical Humanities.

Cultural activity mobilises wellness assets, which can support health priorities linked to personalised and integrative care systems.

Creative healthcare transforms public services, reduces waiting lists by addressing social concerns - such as loneliness and belonging - equipping health professionals with a repertoire of skills to enhance active citizenship and lifestyle.

This doctoral research will upskill doctors, allied health professionals and creative professionals to better observe, empathise and co-produce the meaning of healthcare with the publics they serve.

Photographic, and emerging lens-based practices, will encourage immersive witnessing within healthcare and the documentation of treatment and recovery stories.

The experience of art is never fixed. It is multisensory and complex, rooted within the layered and moving experience of the viewer.

We as humans are the original ‘sensitive’ surface upon which light must act in order to make or create a photograph (Greaney, 2022).

The topic questions the affective, subjective and ambiguous quality of such experiences of illness and art, when visualised and perceptually embodied as part of a critical art practice. Is there a heightened empathetic response?

The PhD researcher will develop continuing professional development training for Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland incorporating both medical humanities and creative health.

Quality assurance within healthcare has been evidenced through the provision of enhanced empathy and communication.

The enquiry here is rooted within the lived experience of illness, and the delivery of public health programmes as affected by the interrelated concerns of power, gender, race, disability, class, geography and colonialism.

As a practice-based PhD there is the potential to contribute to better health outcomes for individuals via the development and progression of new professional skills and proficiencies, within a visual and critical enquiry.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

• A comprehensive and articulate personal statement
• Research proposal of 2000 words detailing aims, objectives, milestones and methodology of the project

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

• Completion of Masters at a level equivalent to commendation or distinction at Ulster
• Practice-based research experience and/or dissemination
• Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
• Work experience relevant to the proposed project

Equal Opportunities

The University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community, particularly from those with disabilities.

Appointment will be made on merit.

Funding and eligibility

This project is funded by:

• Department for the Economy (DfE)

This scholarship will cover tuition fees and provide a maintenance allowance of £21,000* (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).  A Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of approximately £900 per annum is also available.

To be eligible for these scholarships, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be a UK National, or

• Have settled status, or

• Have pre-settled status, or

• Have indefinite leave to remain or enter, or

• be an Irish National

Applicants should also meet the residency criteria which requires that they have lived in the EEA, Switzerland, the UK or Gibraltar for at least the three years preceding the start date of the research degree programme.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies.

*Part time PhD scholarships may be available, based on 0.5 of the full time rate, and will require a six year registration period