SDHI held its second Day of Public Engagement in the Dundee Central library at the Wellgate Centre on November 3rd as part of the ESRC’s Festival of Social Science and Dundee Science Festival.
Among several exciting projects presented to the public on Saturday were studies into loneliness of people with cancer, ways of improving patient feedback, the evaluation of a cancer screening tool, and opportunities to register as a future research participant. Masters of Design students from Duncan and Jordanstone College of Art and Design came along to showcase work on improving communication between patients, their families/carers, and health care professionals, through design. People were invited to show how they would re-organise their GPs surgery for more positive experiences and were asked what they thought was important in helping recovery from a stroke. The program was completed with a performance of the one-woman play ‘Acceptance’ in the Steps Theatre by Lisa Nicoll, a writer, actress and filmmaker. The play is about a woman coming to terms with her reliance on alcohol as a social crutch. Lisa’s work is based upon people’s real experiences, which are researched through her interaction with groups and communities across Scotland. The variety of projects and the time commitment of the staff, is testimony of the commitment of the SDHI and the two universities to sharing knowledge, engaging the public and improving the health, wellbeing and participation of people in their local area and beyond.
