Building an interface between art and data science for health and wellbeing

Description

Symposium "Creating Health and Wellbeing through Creative Endeavour(s)" organised by the BSA South-Coast Medical Sociology Study Group

The adoption of personalised digital health environments (e.g. self-management mobile apps), big data (e.g. surveillance of infectious outbreaks) and AI algorithms that inform decisions about social and health care (e.g. IBM Watson Health for social care management) all raise important issues about data and privacy today. Meanwhile, health promotion and communication have also moved to a digitised age, with health organisations using texts and social media in order to educate about health risks and prevention. But what opportunities are offered to develop new arts-based, participatory public health strategies for health and wellbeing in the era of datafication and digital health?

This talk reports on a new project that aims to enhance public engagement with health data through art practice. More specifically, the project explores how art and creativity can enable health literacy and data science skills amongst socioeconomically disadvantaged communities to reduce health inequalities. It is anticipated that the research will build a participatory interface that involves creativity and use of data to improve health and wellbeing, while allowing audiences and participants to reflect on the ethical, social, and political and cultural issues of big data and personalised medicine.

Period	5 Dec 2019
Held at	University of Southampton, United Kingdom
Degree of Recognition	National