International Health Humanities Network Membership

Michael Tan, a Singaporean artist, educator and researcher. As a leading advocate for arts & design for health development in Singapore, my research interest explores art and design practices in relation to health & Well-being, care, ageing, and human flourishing. Inspired by assemblage theory, I am interested to explore on the role of creative practice in shaping culture of care in various care settings and the wider context of medical/ health humanities and health communication.

I recently joined Lab4Living at Sheffield Hallam University, UK as a Reader in Art and Design and will be contributing to the lab’s ongoing work on the 100 Year Life & the Future Home as well as mentoring PhDs.  My ongoing collaborations include: The Repository for Arts and Health Resources project led by Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health, Canterbury Christ Church University;  The A-health Project (Mcgill University- Nanyang Technological University); Art in Dermatology Education (Duke-NUS). I keen to explore collaboration or supervise projects related, but not limited to the following lines of inquiry:

·       The Future of Care and wellbeing

·       Wonderment and Wellbeing

·       Therapeutic engagements/ experience (e.g. technology-inspired participatory)

·       Therapeutic Objects

·       Communicating Health

As a leading advocate for arts and health development in Singapore, he has been active in promoting awareness for arts and health among stakeholders in the fields of arts, health and social care, while developing and conducting art-health program in various care settings in Singapore such as the Singapore General Hospital, The National University Hospital and the Singapore Parkinson’s society. He has served as a member of the art advisory committee at Ng Teng Fong Hospital, to advise on art for health programming. He has also served as review of grants. He is also the current Country representative (Singapore) for the Arts Health Early Career Research Network. His recent work includes collaboration with the Agency or Integrated Care to develop the Arts, Ageing and Wellbeing Toolkit with students from the MSc in Applied Gerontology programme (NTU), as well as the first every art residency programme in Singapore alongside the Sparks! Art for Wellness toolkit.