Durham Institute for Medical Humanities

📚️ A new collaborative research publication led by Dr. Kate Marks from the Moving Bodies Lab explores how social workers in England understand and use intersectionality in professional practice. 🔗 Find out more here: medhumsplatform.org/new-publicat...

Join us for a special book launch of Karin Kukkonen's 'Creativity and Contingency in Literary Writing'. Kukkonen will be in conversation with fellow lab member Mike Wheeler 📅Monday, October 26, 2026 ⏱️4 PM- 5:45 PM 📍CB-0008, Confluence Building, Durham University Register here: lnkd.in/em2rE5yW

📚️ A new publication from the Moving Bodies Lab Lead, Cassandra Phoenix, with Meredith Griffin and Erica V. Bennett, sheds light on how menopause symptoms impact women’s everyday experiences of physical activity. 🔗 Find out more: lnkd.in/eeny3ati 🔗 Read the full article: lnkd.in/eWQmkkgA

Time is running out ⌛️ Help shape The Polyphony's future by participating in the 2026 Polyphony User Survey. ⏰️ The survey closes on 16th October 2026 ⏰️ For more information, visit: thepolyphony.org/2026/09/16/2... Take part: durhamuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Join Dr Stefano Serafini for a seminar exploring how interwar British and Italian literature portrayed the hidden trauma of First World War veterans. 📆 Wednesday 4 November, 4PM - 5:45PM 📍 Institute for Medical Humanities / online More info & book: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-invisi...

The IMH welcomes PhD proposals aligning with the medical humanities via the Transformative Humanities studentships. Find out more about the fully funded Transformative Humanities studentships here: lnkd.in/efhf7QDc

Join us for a lecture by Dr Gwen Adshead exploring trauma as a complex human experience and its relationship with memory, identity and violence. 📆 Friday 30 October, 12PM - 1:30PM 📍 Institute for Medical Humanities More info & book: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/unspeakabl...

A warm welcome to Dr Rebecca Whiteley who joins us as a Visiting Scholar in The Visual and Material Lab for the 2026-27 academic year! 🔗 Find out more about Rebecca: medhumsplatform.org/meet-visitin...

🎉 We are excited to share that Georgia Punton has been awarded an Addison Wheeler Research Fellowship with IMH and Durham’s Department of Psychology! Her project, 'The Imagination After Midnight', explores night-time thoughts and imagination, and how they relate to sleep and wellbeing. 👇 Read here

🎭 Join us for Crossroads: A Research Cabaret, an evening of live music, poetry, dance, stand-up comedy and surprises exploring experiences of illness, disability and health decision-making. 📅 12 November 2026 🕖 7–10pm 📍 Radisson Blu Hotel, Durham, DH1 5TA 👇 Find out more and book your place

Delighted to welcome Janne-Elin Yttri as a visiting PhD researcher! From Monday, Region Zealand Head Psychiatrist & University of Copenhagen Clin Assoc Prof Janne will spend 2 weeks exploring the phenomenology of auditory hallucinations with Durham colleagues. Learn more: tinyurl.com/visit-jey

A warm welcome to Nicholas Duddy, who joins the Narrative Practices Lab next week for 2 months as a Visiting Scholar! During his visit, Nicholas will be investigating narrative approaches to mental health with colleagues from across the University. Find out more: tinyurl.com/duddy-visit

Welcome to @liu.se's Prof. Kristin Zeiler, who joins the Platform as an International Professorial Fellow. Over the next 2 months, she'll be exploring the role of interdisciplinary research in contemporary healthcare - we can’t wait to see what her visit inspires! More: tinyurl.com/visit-kz

🎙️ ICYMI! Catch Bridging Fellow @danielpjones.bsky.social on BBC Newcastle talking about his new international research project on Tourette Syndrome. Listen on BBC Sounds (1hr 7mins in). medhumsplatform.org/bbc-radio-ne...

The September edition of the IMH newsletter is now live! Catch up on the latest news, events, research and opportunities from across our community at Durham University. mailchi.mp/durham.ac.uk...

If you've been thinking what ReaderBank's been up to, does this haiku help?

In sunny Salford, quizzes and poems galore. And you, on your way?

Survey reminder! If you've ever read or written for @the-polyphony.bsky.social, the team are still keen to hear your views on the site and any connections, ideas and opportunities that may have emerged through the experience. Take part today: durhamuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

A warm welcome to Prof. Alison Downham Moore from @westernsydneyu.bsky.social, who joins us as a Visiting Scholar this week! Find out more about Alison: medhumsplatform.org/welcome-to-v...

A warm welcome to Palak Daga, who joins the IMH as our new Communications Intern. We're looking forward to working with you, Palak! www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...

New open access book! 'Neurodiversity and the Contemporary in the 21st Century Novel' by Nicola Simonetti sheds light on the intersections between neurodiversity, literature and the growing field of Contemporary Studies. Find out more: medhumsplatform.org/new-publicat...

Congratulations to @danielpjones.bsky.social, who has been awarded a prestigious Wellcome Early-Career Award to transform understandings of Tourette Syndrome. 🎉 Find out more about Daniel’s project: www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...

How do bodies know? Join us in Durham on October 6 for a full-day workshop exploring embodied and relational forms of knowing in therapeutic and qualitative research settings. 📝 Register below:

Have you ever read or written for @the-polyphony.bsky.social? We've launched a short survey to help shape The Polyphony's future and would love to hear from you about any opportunities, ideas, or connections that came from your experiences of the site. 📝 Take part here: tinyurl.com/polyphony-26

I blogged for the EPIC project about social contagion and epistemic injustice, the dangers of under-researched but persuasive theories, and how people who self-harm are left on the periphery of knowledge-making about their own lives: epistemicinjusticeinhealthcareproject.blogspot.com/2026/09/cont...

Here, Emily Davis, Gabriela Minden and I reflect in @the-polyphony.bsky.social on what dance can teach us about health and knowledge: whose movements are valued in research? Thanks to the @durhamimh.bsky.social for supporting the event! #Dance #MedicalHumanities thepolyphony.org/2026/09/07/d...

Our third Medical Humanities PhD Summer School in collaboration with the Centre for Medical Humanities and Bioethics at Linköping University was a huge success! 👉Find out more about how we explored interdisciplinary & cross-sector perspectives on bodies and embodiment: tinyurl.com/PhD-School-2...

Don't miss @thereaderbank.bsky.social at BBC Contains Strong Language in Salford later this month! Join us on 25–27 September to explore how poetry engages the imagination in different and surprising ways at our workshop and drop-in sessions. Find out more: medhumsplatform.org/readerbank-a...

In this age of AI, how can the medical humanities shape digitisation, and how are digital technologies shaping emerging medical practices? Join us on 16 Sept for a free day of talks and panels, hosted by our AI and Medical Humanities research strand. Register👇 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ai-world-b...

Moving Bodies Lab Lead @cassie-phoenix.bsky.social delivered the Sir Derek Birley memorial lecture at the British Society of Sports History 2026 Annual Conference last week to an international audience at the University of Edinburgh. Read our news story 👇 medhumsplatform.org/sir-derek-bi...

We’ve had such interesting discussions today about how characters sound, stories feel and worlds look in our minds when we read. We’re still buzzing with excitement after today, and can’t wait to tell you what comes next! If you don’t know what your Reader Type is yet, head over to readerbank.org

If you’re at the Edinburgh International Book Festival today, come visit us at the Discovery Zone for children in Venue B! We’d love to speak to young readers and teachers about how you imagine when you read... and while you’re at it, come do the quiz and grab a trading card and pretty bookmarks!

📢Our Lancet paper on Ambient scribes as narrative technologies is out! @kirstenostherr.bsky.social @literarti.bsky.social @riceuniversity.bsky.social @durhamimh.bsky.social @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social #AcademicSky www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

A new article in @thelancet.com co-authored by IMH Director Angela Woods calls for caution on the rapid adoption of ‘ambient scribes’ in healthcare – these are AI tools that listen to consultations and automatically generate patient notes. Read more: www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...

How can we better understand inequality in physical activity and health? A recent workshop hosted by IMH researchers explored how Intersectional Conversation Analysis can reveal how identity, power and inequality are negotiated in everyday interactions. Read more: www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...

Our summer newsletter has just hit inboxes! 📨☀️ July's edition shares news from the Platform & IMH, new publications, and articles from @the-polyphony.bsky.social. We’re having a break from our monthly newsletter in August – we will be back in your inboxes in September. mailchi.mp/durham.ac.uk...

Great to see Hearing the Voice – our interdisciplinary study of voice-hearing which ran from 2012–2022 – featured in this important report on interdisciplinary mental health research! www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...

As part of her In Practice Research Fellowship, Dr Estelle Verdi has published a scoping review exploring how creative health approaches may support the mental health and wellbeing of minoritised women following baby loss. Read the article in full 👇 medhumsplatform.org/new-publicat...

Was glad to attend this workshop earlier this week hosted by @durhamimh.bsky.social. Very thought provoking presentations and discussions.

How do we evaluate quality in co-produced research? A new publication co-authored by Kate Marks (Moving Bodies Lab) & Brett Smith (Narrative Practices Lab) explores how quality can be assessed in ways that reflect the values and aims of co-production. Read more 👇 medhumsplatform.org/new-publicat...

Last month the IMH held a PhD Showcase event celebrating the diversity and creativity of research in the medical humanities. One of our Postgraduate coordinators has shared a recap of the event and explains the creative feedback process that was used in the panels. www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...

I'm super excited about this workshop! 📚 Gender, Autism, and Affective and Epistemic Injustice workshop @durhamimh.bsky.social Tuesday 7th July 10-3.30 A HYBRID workshop developing interdisciplinary conversations around key issues www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...