This one day workshop presented by Sanjeev Sridharan, Associate Professor, University of Toronto will be held on Wednesday 19th September in IT Suite 2, Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee
For further details please see Spatial Analysis Training Course flyer
SDHI are delighted to annouce the rescheduling of the webinar entitled ‘Health professionals’ beliefs about domestic abuse and the issue of disclosure’ (led by Dr Caroline Bradbury-Jones, School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Dundee and Professor Julie Taylor, School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Dundee and Head of Strategy and Development, (Physical Abuse in High Risk Families) NSPCC) on Monday the 15th of October 2012 at 10.30am (BST). This webinar is free and if you would like to join then please contact Fred Comerford (fac1 @st-andrews.ac.uk) or Rosanne Bell (r.c.bell @dundee.ac.uk)
SDHI are hosting a series of events presented by Lisa
Thursday 4th October at 5pm – Film presentation and discussion
Lecture Theatre 2, Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee
Wasteland is a short film written & directed by Lisa Nicoll. It is based on research carried out with teenagers in the Coatbridge Locality. Over a series of 7 weeks Lisa gained stories about what it is like to live in the area as a teenager, she then brought all the stories together and wrote the short drama script Wasteland.
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Thursday 18th October at 5pm – Film presentation and discussion
Lecture Theatre 2, Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee
Caked follows the story of teenager Jess who struggles to keep her family together after her father is sent to prison. Jess becomes a carer for her mum who has not left her bed for weeks and for her younger sister who has become quiet and withdrawn. Jess works in a shop, studies at school and cooks and cleans. She shuts everyone else out in a bid to protect her family and in doing so takes a path she would not have chosen…………
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Thursday 8th November at 5pm – Book presentation and discussion
Lecture Room 4, Gateway Building, University of St Andrews
Leathered is Lisa’s first piece of fiction and is a short novel about choices facing teenagers. The book has been piloted for feedback in St Kentigerns and Bathgate Secondary Schools in West Lothian. The book is to be launched Scotland wide for all secondary schools in 2012 with a general publication to follow
For further information about Lisa visit www.lisanicoll.co.uk
Stroke patients in Tayside are set to benefit from the announcement of an innovative research project that will study the impact of visual arts programmes in stroke rehabilitation.
Tayside Healthcare Arts Trust (THAT) in partnership with NHS Tayside’s Department of Allied Health Professionals and the Social Dimensions of Health Institute, Universities of Dundee and St Andrews, has been awarded research funds from the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) to lead a project to examine the effects on recovery and wellbeing of creative engagement in visual arts during inpatient stroke rehabilitation.
The project will commence in February of next year and will run until the beginning of 2015. Artists will work with stroke patients from across Tayside in the Stroke Rehabilitation Units at Perth Royal Infirmary and at Stracathro Hospital. The impact of their work with patients will be the basis of the research.
Patients recovering after having had a stroke will be given the opportunity to work with a visual artist during their inpatient stay. Patients will explore the use of art materials for their own creativity as a rehabilitative activity. Many of the participants will have never worked with visual art materials before and all will be coming to terms with impairments from their stroke that might include weakness and communication problems.
Working with a professional artist opens up the opportunity for communication and expression in a number of ways. Expression through art appears to help people develop their confidence, motivate themselves and recognise that they are more capable of achieving goals than they thought they were.
THAT, with the support of NHS Tayside, has been delivering and evaluating art programmes with stroke for a number of years through their innovative ST/ART Project partnership. The ST/ART Project was originally funded by the Big Lottery Fund from 2004-07 and since then has been supported by NHS Tayside through its Stroke Managed Clinical Network.

Chris Kelly Projects Coordinator for THAT has been in charge of developing and delivering the ST/ART Project. Over the last two years he has worked closely with Dr Jacqui Morris, NHS Tayside Allied Health Professionals Research Lead and a Senior Research Fellow working in the Social Dimensions of Health Institute and School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Dundee. Along with academic colleagues from Stirling, Edinburgh and Glasgow Caledonian Universities, the team has worked to develop methods to scientifically test the Creative Engagement model for its effects on recovery and wellbeing after stroke.
Chris said, “I have been developing this Creative Engagement model for the past 12 years and am delighted that we have now got recognition and support for our work at a national level. The announcement of the CSO award is the very positive culmination of that work, and a recognition of the originality of the approach being taken by the THAT project.
“This research award takes our work to the next level where we can really start to look closely at how the model of Creative Engagement works and its effects on different participants. Dr Morris and her academic colleagues have brought knowledge, understanding and scientific rationale that will underpin the two year study. This is an amazing opportunity to use scientific research to test just how much the arts have to offer in this area of healthcare.”
Dr Morris said, “I lead a research apprenticeship scheme for nurses and allied health professionals who are interested in developing research ideas that emerge from their clinical practice. Chris participated in the scheme and we worked together to develop THAT’s work with Creative Engagement into a research project to explore its effects. As a physiotherapist, my main research interest is in stroke rehabilitation and recovery, and I am committed to exploring ways in which we can improve recovery and participation in life activities for people with stroke.
“Research in other areas has shown that providing opportunities for creative expression can be a powerful way to improve a range of physical and psychological outcomes. Being able to explore and understand this type of intervention in stroke patients is an important development that may shape the way that we deliver rehabilitation services in future. The research proposal we have developed is both complex and unusual so we have built a very strong supporting academic team to help drive it forward, with collaborators in Stirling, Edinburgh and Glasgow Caledonian Universities as well as our team in Dundee. Chris has experienced artists available to deliver the intervention, and we will be supported by the Social Dimensions of Health Institute who have an excellent reputation in this type of research. This is a great for achievement for Tayside as it is a very innovative project.”
The project has attracted media attention in Scotland and articles have appeared in The Scotsman, The Courier, The Evening Telegraph, The Arbroath Herald and others. Please stay tuned for updates on this exciting project.
Lisa Nicoll will be doing a talk as part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Thursday 16th of August. The event will consist of short extracts from some of her plays, a reading from her short novel for teenagers Leathered and a short extract from her new film Wasteland. This will be followed on by discussion of how these can be used to explore Health & Wellbeing in a natural, creative way. A question and answer session will follow.
HEALTH & WELL BEING THROUGH LITERATURE, FILM & THEATRE
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL
CHARLOTTE SQUARE
EDINBURGH
Thursday 16th August 2012
17:30 – 18:30
FOR TICKETS GO TO http://www.edbookfest.co.uk/education/cpd
Excerpt from Festival Programme
Lisa Nicoll is a successful writer, actress, director and producer and, following extensive research with teenagers, she’s now written a novel for young adults. Leathered addresses some of the issues concerning young people today. In this event Lisa discusses how health and wellbeing can be explored through literature, film and theatre in a natural and creative way.
Social Dimensions of Health Institute 