A woman in activewear walking down a woodland path

Health, Performance and Wellbeing

The Health, Performance and Wellbeing theme at ARU aims to address health inequalities and to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals, communities, the planet and society as a whole through the application of novel methods, technologies and creative arts.

The applications of this theme are broad and span across ageing, physical, mental and emotional states. Its breadth and depth offer plenty of scope for investigation.

Sub-themes

This theme covers a wide range of areas and is structured under three main subthemes, Creative, Community and Digital, to preserve the breadth of the theme whilst giving order to the interdisciplinary mix and emphasising research strengths across the institution.

Research within as well as across sub-themes will facilitate creation of larger multidisciplinary teams that can more effectively address the complex challenges that align with this theme.

Research institutes and centres

Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research
Vision and Eye Research Institute
Medical Technology Research Centre
More Health, Performance and Wellbeing research institutes, centres and groups

Projects

Back view of academics sitting on chairs and tables in a seminar room, in a workshop

The Arts, Health and Wellbeing Research Network

This project will capture the breadth and depth of arts, health and wellbeing research across ARU, and foster new collaborations in this area.

Photo: George Shipley

 Find out how we're bringing together arts, health and wellbeing researchers from across ARU

Our team

Health, Performance and Wellbeing is led by Fiona Bodle (Assistant Director Strategic Innovation), Prof Selim Cellek (Professor of Health and Biomedicine; Medical Technology Research Centre – MTRC), Dr I-Shuo Chen (Senior Lecturer of Organisational Behaviour), Prof Helen Odell-Miller (Director, Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research – CIMTR), Prof Shahina Pardhan (Director, Vision and Eye Research Institute – VERI), Prof Barbara Pierscionek (Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation); MTRC), Professor Lee Smith (Professor of Public Health), and Dr Kirk Woolford (Associate Professor of Creative Technologies).

ARU's Health, Performance and Wellbeing research theme leadership team, left to right: Shahina Pardhan, Selim Cellek, Helen Odell-Miller, Graham Ball, Kirk Woolford, Lee Smith, Barbara Pierscionek, Yvonne Barnett and Fiona Bodle

Above, left to right: Prof Shahina Pardhan, Prof Selim Cellek, Prof Helen Odell-Miller CBE, Prof Graham Ball (Director of MTRC), Dr Kirk Woolford, Prof Lee Smith, Prof Barbara Pierscionek, Prof Yvonne Barnett (Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation), Fiona Bodle (Strategic Innovation)

Our team

Selim Cellek

Professor of Health and Biomedicine

Selim Cellek's profile page

[email protected]

I-Shuo Chen

Senior Lecturer of Organisational Behaviour

I-Shuo Chen's profile page
[email protected]

Shahina Pardhan

Director of Vision and Eye Research Institute

Shahina Pardhan's profile page

[email protected]

Visit Prof Pardhan's ResearchGate profile

Visit Prof Pardhan's Scopus profile

Barbara Krystyna Pierscionek

Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation)

Barbara Krystyna Pierscionek's profile page

[email protected]

Connect with Barbara on LinkedIn

Lee Smith

Professor

Lee Smith's profile page

[email protected]

Follow Lee on Twitter

View Lee's profile on ResearchGate

Kirk Woolford

Associate Professor of Creative Technologies

Kirk Woolford's profile page

https://www.bhaptic.net

[email protected]

30 June 2023

ARU and Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) to hold second joint research conference

Researchers and clinicians from ARU and EPUT will share their latest collaborative work at their second annual joint research conference on 15 September at Hughes Hall, Cambridge. The conference's theme is 'digital innovations in practice' and will include a keynote from Prof Andrew Bateman (University of Essex) on digital innovations in rehabilitation, as well as networking opportunities.

Find out more about and book your place at the second ARU and EPUT joint research conference
30 June 2023

ARU's Medical Technology Research Centre (MTRC) announces second conference

ARU's MTRC has announced its second annual conference will take place on 13-14 September 2023 at Hughes Hall, Cambridge. The conference will particularly focus on the benefits of collaboration, and delegates will hear from Prof Wei Chen (University of Texas Arlington) on nanotechnologies, and Prof Michael Sutcliffe (University of Cambridge) on biomedical engineering.

Find out more about and book your place at the second MTRC conference
29 November 2022

Academics present diabetic health research at Health, Performance and Wellbeing launch

Dr Raju Sapkota, Dr Pamela Knight, and Dr Justin Roberts gave a poster presentation, 'Barriers to the uptake of diabetic health services among Black Caribbean people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the UK' at the Health, Performance and Wellbeing research theme launch in Cambridge on 28 November 2022. They discussed the aims, methods, and findings of their research into Black Caribbean patients' healthcare experiences.

View the 'Barriers to the uptake of diabetic health services among black Caribbean people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the UK' poster (PDF)
29 November 2022

Academics present contraception access research at Health, Performance and Wellbeing launch

Dr Susan Walker and Claire Hooks gave a poster presentation, 'Improving access to contraception for women experiencing drug addiction' at the Health, Performance and Wellbeing research theme launch in Cambridge on 28 November 2022. They summarised the aims, outcomes, and future of their project, which involved developing a network of public and third sector stakeholders who work with women with drug addiction who also required contraception.

View the 'Improving access to contraception for women experiencing drug addiction' poster (PDF)