Giving back
Voluntary work has been an important part of my life since the COVID-19 pandemic, when a temporary role blossomed into three years of moving inspiration and connection that would prove vital to my career plans. Nowadays, my volunteering is usually unrelated to my day job. Find out more below!
📚 Research
Synthesising the impact of viewing visual art on wellbeing
A growing number of studies show that making art is good for our health, but we know little about the evidence landscape surrounding how viewing visual art (i.e., "receptive engagement") could impact our wellbeing. Since May 2024, I've served in a research team based at the NYU- and WHO-affiliated Jameel Arts and Health Lab to survey the global literature on this question. I've searched academic and non-academic databases for relevant evidence, screened potentially eligible studies, extracted and synthesised data, and critically reviewed manuscript drafts. I'm looking forward to sharing our outputs - in the meantime, here's the pre-registered protocol for our scoping review!
👐 Community, wellbeing, and connection
Talking through (but rarely about) cancer
A cancer diagnosis can be an isolating experience, even with the support of loved ones. Since March 2023, I have served as a Telephone Buddy with Macmillan Cancer Support, giving me the chance to build rapport with people around the country and converse through (but rarely about) cancer. I have "matched" with three people so far for around 12 hour-long chats each!
Bringing nature to healthcare environments
Did you know that fresh flowers are rarely allowed on hospital wards? In February 2023, surprised by this fact, I applied for ~£500 of funding from a community organisation in Oxford to run art workshops to produce nature-filled works for local patients and staff alike. You can browse those gorgeous works and read more about that project, which I handed over to new facilitators in September 2023, through our impact report and our website.
I am now in conversations with healthcare providers and artists in Cambridge to develop similar programming locally - stay tuned!Making background music for hospitals
A growing number of hospitals in England have installed pianos in their waiting rooms or lobbies, and I've been lucky enough to live near two. After volunteering as a "background music piano person" for a few months at the Churchill Hospital in 2023, I have continued to play at the Royal Papworth Hospital weekly since the beginning of my PhD, and my current setlist includes songs from this document, as well as a small number of classical pieces. I am on the lookout for opportunities to widen access to this music locally, as well as nationally! Please get in touch if you share this interest.