International Health Humanities Network Membership

I am a current PhD student working on Trauma Theory and Contemporary Irish Trauma Fiction. I am interested in the limitations of literary trauma theory when analysing narratives which articulate complex and long-term periods of abuse or neglect. My research focuses on intimate partner violence, institutional abuse, silences and a variety of other forms of abuse and neglect.

Dr Morgner’ research interests include social and cultural theory, global studies of communication and health and well-veing. His work explores questions of culture, communication and meaning-making from an interdisciplinary, sociologically informed perspective, and has taken three main directions: first, work on cultural diversity and cultural inequality in the creative industry; second, on networks and creativity in global cultural hubs; and third, on the impact of arts and culture on well-being. He has previously held positions and visiting fellowships at the University of Cambridge, Yale University, Hitotsubashi University (Toyko) and the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (Paris). Currently, he works on a project about the use of video-analysis and well-being. This project explores the impact of arts and culture on people with dementia using videoanalysis.

Dr Craig Morris has research interests around language/discourse analysis and social aspects of illicit drug use, including media representations of drugs and users and the medicinal use of cannabis by chronically ill and disabled people.

I have been a lecturer in occupational therapy at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen Scotland for 11 years. Prior to this my clinical background was in mental health where I used the creative arts in my practice ,particularly writing and poetry My teaching teaching and areas of interest include mental health, trauma, addictions, spirituality in healthcare, and the integration of the humanities and situated learning experiences within the undergraduate curriculum.

I am a mental health journalist, librarian and musician. I had a diagnosis of 'manic depression' aged 21 and was in and out of psych hospitals most of my 20s, sometimes sectioned. I am now completely recovered for over 25 years, and have been medication free for that time too.  I have a postgrad diploma in library and information studies, three children and three jobs. 

I have a profound interest and passion around the field of mental distress, informed by my experiences as a young woman in acute wards and out. I believe passionately that today's model for 'treatment' (medical model)  is misguided, misinformed and not evidence based, and actually causes more harm than good.

I work with service users and ex service users producing a quarterly  magazine Equilibrium available at www.equilibriummag.blogspot.com or www.haringey.gov.uk/equilibrium.

My wish is to see major changes in how the emotionally distressed are helped to recover, and that we can break away from the chronicity model and discover recovery.

After graduating with a Dual Honours in French & English Literature from University of Oxford, Polly spent the first ten years of her career working in economic development.  This work was varied and evolved into brokering international relations, including sustained regional alliances and into regional cluster development for the digital and animation sector and associated youth enterprise schemes.

Over the same period of time, Polly invested in campaigning for improvements to renal services and presented at all of the professional fora in this field, as well as engaging with amateur arts activity on Tyneside.  She won various awards for her charitable work and became the lead representative for the Department of Health on renal services.

In 2003 Polly took up a unique joint-funded post between Arts Council England and Public Health North West and in 2005 she was awarded the King’s Fund Clore Leadership Fellowship.  For her research Polly focussed on international best practice relating to arts, mental health, adolescence, and situated her findings in the social economic context of the drive for growth and increase in inequalities.

From 2006 Polly started to work as a freelance consultant, initially in Paris on European projects, and then moving to Liverpool to advise on NHS investment in the social legacy to European Capital of Culture.  This led to a major citywide programme of activity focussed on health and wellbeing in 2010, and to the largest ever street theatre show in Liverpool.  Polly continues to develop her role as a producer with a number of UK and international artists and has published a number of articles and book chapters relating to her work.

Hilary Moss is Senior Lecturer and Course Co-ordinator of the MA in Music Therapy at the World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, Ireland and previously the Director of the National Centre for Arts and Health, Tallaght Hospital, Dublin. She completed her PhD in 2014 on Aesthetic Deprivation: the role of the arts for older people in hospital at Trinity College Dublin School of Medicine in 2014. Post doctoral research includes a large survey of the perceptions of the health and well-being benefits of choir singing (over 1700 participants); a study on music therapy and spirituality and the role of the curator in hospital.  She is a practicing Musician and Music Therapist and has an MBA in Health Service Management. Her research interests include arts therapies; singing and health; health humanities and inter-disciplinary research.  She is founder and Chair of the Arts and Health Research Cluster at UL as well as a collaborator on a research project exploring Dementia Friendly Hospital Design. She is representative on the European Music Therapy Confederation and member of the Health Research Institute at UL and the Irish Humanities Alliance (http://www.irishhumanities.com/). For more information see http://www.ul.ie/research/content/dr-hilary-moss

Although still practising medicine, Susan is completing a doctorate in the history of medicine in eighteenth century Ireland, which will be submitted in early 2013.

She is leading the Living Medical History Project to record the memories and histories of older medical practitioners in Ireland which started in November 2012.

She is currently the secretary of the History of Medicine Section of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.

Graduate of Newcastle University

Studied medicine at Palacky University in Olomouc, Czech Republic.  A naive aArtist who advocates the interdiscipline of epistemological medicine and writes on medicine as a phenomenon of language. Co-developed a standardized patient program for the University of Iowa College od Dentistry.  Taught healthcare communications and physical exam skills to medical and dental students.   Author of "Healthcare Communication: A Rhetorical Handbook" and the forthcoming "I Can Cure Your Cancer With This Poem."