The festival highlighted MHaPS commitment to collaboration in a series of lightning and keynote talks spanning both education and research.
Our first keynote was from Dr Ioannis Bakolis, who delved into the association between air pollution and mental health. He discussed his findings on the link between traffic-related air pollution and a range of negative outcomes, including common mental health disorders and use of services in children and adolescents, as well as other diagnoses such as psychosis, dementia, and multiple long-term conditions. He also looked to future solutions such as moving towards low carbon, car free, socially inclusive, and bio-diverse urban environments.
In our second keynote, Dr Julia Ouzia explored inclusivity in education. She described the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework on the BSc Psychology programme, a model which uses an evidence-informed approach to promote engagement, representation, action, and expression of all learners regardless of their individual needs. Dr Ouzia also introduced us to UDL training for staff to promote inclusivity in our classrooms.
We didn’t sit in a room all afternoon, but had regular ‘Meet the Presenter’ sessions so researchers and educators could open new conversations sparked by the array of talks.
Beyond celebrating our School's accomplishments, the festival was an opportunity to foster new connections and inter-department collaborations. By creating a platform for celebration and collaboration, the festival is a pivotal step towards nurturing a cohesive School community – one of our strategic milestones.
Videographer, David Martin, captured the essence of the festival in the fantastic video below: