Between Biomedicine, Self and Society

Since 2018, CBSS at the University of Edinburgh has progressed to become an established Centre of research, education and engagement. We know CBSS will continue to flourish in the years ahead, and we came together to reflect on our work and celebrate our successes.

Day one: Humanities and Social Science in dialogue with Biomedicine and Public Health

Day one took place on 26 February at The Usher Building and explored the impact of the interdisciplinary work CBSS has established and advanced. It began with an informal zine-making workshop over lunch with Dr Chase Ledin and Ellen Richardson. Through this, participants learned about the use of zines in health-related research and created one for themselves.

The workshop was followed by a CBSS showcasing event, which celebrated the achievements of CBSS and some of its members. Introduced by Prof Sarah Cunningham-Burley, Centre members, alumni and invited guests came together to hear about recent work from Dr Giulia De Togni, Dr Andrea Ford and Dr Jaime García Iglesias.

Prof Martyn Pickersgill then chaired a lively panel discussion with Prof Lisa Boden, Prof Richard Chin, Dr Anne-Marie Coriat, Prof Hilary Critchley, Prof Ross Fitzgerald and Prof Liz Grant. This explored the contributions and insights that the humanities and social sciences make to leadership, education, and research within biomedicine and health.

On 27 February, colleagues reconvened at The Edinburgh Futures Institute for a day of salon sessions, a zine workshop, and highlights from some of our CBSS PhD and staff members. Chaired by Dr Karissa Patton, the first salon began with an overview of work and a meditation of the microbial gut with Visiting Arts Fellows Baum & Leahy.  

This was followed by a wide ranging discussion on Art and Science in Times of Crises with Joana Formosinho, Dr Nandini Manjunath, Dr Kirsten Lloyd and Olivia Plender. This was followed by a zine workshop, hosted by Dr Chase Ledin and Ellen Richardson.

In the afternoon, Prof Martyn Pickersgill chaired a PhD Spotlights session, highlighting the important work being carried out by doctoral students in CBSS. The audience heard about the exciting research of Dr Catherine Carver, Jorge Crespo Suarzez, Giorgia Kerr, and Jamie Webb. 

Then the thought-provoking second salon was chaired by Dr Lukas Engelmann, exploring the theme of Beyond the Boundaries of Medicine with Dr Nicola Boydell, Prof Jeni Harden, Dr Haris Haseeb, and Dr Will Nutland. The afternoon concluded with Research Spotlights and Sparkles, chaired by Dr Karissa Patton. This was a wonderful chance to hear from a range of CBSS members, both past and present, and to share and celebrate their successes.  

Into the evening, attendees moved to the Pleasance Cabaret Bar for the first of the Love Hub events, The Activist Monologues: Spoken Word on Loud Actions. The Love Hub events, the final part of Between Biomedicine, Self and Society, were run in partnership with The Love Tank. Five workshops and a spoken word event were open to all on the evening of the 27 February and across the 28 February.

The events focused on themes of activism, mutual-aid, care, performance, research, disability justice, abortion justice, and more. The event hosts and featured speakers included Georgia Bartlett-McNeil, Dr Nicola Boydell, Oliver Ellis, Jj Fadake, Dr Élaina Gauthier-Mamaril, Ese Johnson, Dr Chase Ledin, Dr Élaina Gauthier-Mamaril,  Niall Moorjani, Dr Nat Raha, Phil Samba, Dr Kylo Thomas, Dr Benjamin Weil and Dr Ingrid Young.

Based on The Love Tank’s annual collaboration with Fringe! Queer Arts & Film Fest in London, these events featured our work with key community partners. We were delighted to have The Love Tank working with us, which reflects our commitment to engaged and collaborative research.

The activities convened as part of the Between Biomedicine, Self and Society programme were an excellent opportunity to come together as a Centre, share our work and reflect on our past, present, and future.

At the Between Biomedicine, Self and Society events a version of this online scrapbook was displayed to showcase a range of the creative output that has been developed by centre members.

Further information

Find out about our Centre members  

More information on our guest speakers and partners:

• Georgia Bartlett-McNeil
• Baum & Leahy
• Prof Lisa Boden
• Prof Richard Chin Prof
• Hilary Critchley
• Dr Anne-Marie Coriat
• Prof Hilary Critchley
• Oliver Ellis
• Jj Fadake
• Prof Ross Fitzgerald
• Prof Liz Grant  
• Dr Élaina Gauthier-Mamaril
• Ese Johnson
• Dr Haris Haseeb
• Dr Nandini Manjunath
• Niall Moorjani
• Dr Nat Raha
• Ellen Richardson
• The Love Tank CIC