Research Day on Arts in Health at Vall d'Hebron Hospital

The Vall d'Hebron Hospital and the MNAC go ahead with the research day "Creative Pathways to Health: Research and Practice in Arts-Based Interventions"

Auditorium of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Capacity: 80 people, limited places, registrations open
Language: Conference in English, without translation
Scientific coordination: Sergi Blancafort, professor at the University of Vic

The Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron (ICS), the National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC) and the research group Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M₃O) of the University of Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya organize the research day "Creative Pathways to Health: Research and Practice in Arts-Based Interventions" , dedicated to research in Arts in Health.

In recent years, research in Arts in Health has experienced remarkable growth and has become established as an interdisciplinary field capable of generating numerous scientific evidences. These show how participation in artistic activities can contribute to improving key aspects of physical and mental health: reducing stress and loneliness, improving mobility and cognitive abilities, as well as the quality of life of people in situations of illness or vulnerability.

The conference aims to be a meeting space to present and discuss new lines of research and evaluation models that are being developed internationally and locally. The inaugural conference, by Nisha Sajnani (NYU), will provide an update on the role of the arts in health and well-being, with a comparative and global perspective.

Next, the session “From theory to practice” will feature speakers such as Katey Warran (University of Edinburgh) and Amanda Clifford (University of Limerick), who will present conceptual frameworks, methodological tools and empirical results in areas such as dance with older people or participatory research methodologies.

The program will be completed with a blog dedicated to experiences in Catalonia, where research and intervention projects developed in hospitals, museums and
universities in the region. These include studies on the impact of the arts in reducing loneliness in the elderly, improving the quality of life of Parkinson's patients and the integration of the arts in mental health, among others.

With this meeting, Catalonia reaffirms its role as a hub for research and innovation in Arts in Health, connected to the main European and international networks.

Program

8:30-9:00 REGISTRATION

9:00-9:15 WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS. Guillem d'Efak Fullana (Head of Community Action, Public Programs and Communication, National Art Museum of Catalonia -MNAC)

9:15-10:00 KEYNOTE CONFERENCE: AN UPDATE OF THE ROLE OF ARTS IN IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELLBEING. Nisha Sajnani . Associate Professor and Director of the NYU Steinhardt Graduate Program in Drama Therapy, Chair of the NYU Creative Arts Therapies Consortium, and Founder of Arts & NYU Health

10:00-10:15 QUESTIONS

10:15-11:15 ARTS IN HEALTH FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE. Session chair: Sergi Blancafort (Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing. University of Vic- Central University of Catalonia)

• Frameworks and tools for Arts and Health interventions . Katey Warren. Head of PATHS (Public Health, Arts, Theory, Sociology) Research Group. School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Scotland)
• The effect of dance on physical health and cognition in community dwelling older adults . Amanda Clifford (Professor in Physiotherapy in the School of Allied Health at the University of Limerick, Ireland)

11:15-11:30 QUESTIONS

11:30-12:00 COFFEE BREAK

12:00-13:30 ARTS IN HEALTH EXPERIENCES IN CATALONIA. Opening: Joan Gómez Pallarès (General Director of Research, Government of Catalonia), Session chair: Guila Fidel Kinori (Clinical psychologist. Psychiatric Service. Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron)

• Museums for Wellbeing: Arts-based interventions in Fibromyalgia and Eating Disorders TBC (Primary Care Center Canaletes, Cerdanyola del Vallès) Eduard Bech (Director of Empordà Museum, Figueres, Girona)
• Drawing health : A child-led illustrated dictionary of medicine. Rosa Estopà (Professor at the Department of Translation and Language Sciences, University Pompeu Fabra -UPF) Evaluation of effectiveness of an art-based museum intervention in reducing loneliness among older adults (ArtGran). Rosa Puigpinós Riera (Head of the Immigration and Health Group, Public Health Agency of Barcelona)
• Art meets joy and nature : What randomized trials teach us about tackling loneliness in community interventions. Laura Coll-Planas (Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Vic-UVic)
• Efficacy of a theatre-based intervention in patients with Parkinson's disease. Marco Calabria (Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Open University of Catalonia-UOC)

13:30-14:00 QUESTIONS

14:00 CLOSING