Professor in Nursing recognised for innovative arts based research

Julie McGarry, who holds a joint Professor in Nursing and Gender Based Violence at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Sheffield role, has been recognised with a Sigma European award for Excellence in Nursing Research award for her groundbreaking arts-based research.

Julie has been using a range of arts-based mediums to empower vulnerable and underrepresented groups to communicate lived experiences that would otherwise remain undisclosed to healthcare professionals.

Key to this has been the reframing of the prevailing healthcare question ‘what is the matter with you?' to ‘what matters to you?’

Storytelling, painting, collage, poetry, photography, video stories, clay, textiles and animation are just a few examples of the range of mediums she has used.

This has changed the way healthcare professionals recognise and support domestic abuse victims and vulnerable groups.

Julie's research has also played a leading role in influencing national policy, and she was part of the expert reference group that helped develop the Sexual Safety Collaborative Standards and Guidance to Improve Sexual Safety on Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Inpatient Pathways.

These standards are now used by healthcare professionals to keep staff and visiting staff, families, friends and visitors within the inpatient environment safe.

Domestic abuse and sexual harm have an immediate and long-term impact on mental and physical health, with vulnerable groups often in frequent contact with nurses and healthcare professionals as a result. However, they rarely disclose lived experiences in a healthcare settings and nurses often feel ill prepared to support disclosure.

Julie said: “I am deeply honoured to be accepting this prestigious award. The value of personal narrative cannot be underestimated, and through my research we have been able to reframe the discourse of health and illness for vulnerable and underrepresented groups from one which is professionally dominated to one which holds the most meaning for the individuals concerned. This award is also a fabulous endorsement of the benefit arts-based healthcare research can have in giving voice to those who would otherwise remain silent in healthcare settings.”

Julie will be presented with her award at the 7th Sigma European biennial conference which is taking place at Bournemouth University between June 26 and 28.