News
Professor Roisin Connolly awarded a HRB Knowledge Translation Award for UCC Cancer Trials Group's Art4Knowledge Art Therapy Project
The HRB-supported UCC Cancer Trials Group is among six successful UCC projects that have received additional funding from the HRB for communication and dissemination activities, bringing scientific discoveries closer to the public. The HRB KTA programme supports researchers to work together to shape and deliver knowledge translation activities that will improve the exchange of research findings and its translation into policy and practice.
Professor Connolly's awarded project is titled Art4Knowledge – Art Therapy for Knowledge Exchange between UCC CTG patients with cancer, their families, and clinical trials teams. It expands on efforts of the HRB-funded UCC Cancer Trials Group (UCC CTG), which provides access via clinical trials to cutting edge treatments and supportive care for patients with cancer in the South of Ireland. UCC CTG connects UCC research teams with clinical trials units in Cork University Hospital, University Hospital Waterford, and the Bon Secours Cork. Art4Knowledge, through a workshop series, will offer an Art Therapy intervention to patients, their families and UCC CTG clinical trials teams, facilitated by the MTU Crawford College of Art and Design. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on and better understand their own experiences, perceptions, and feelings around receiving cancer care and participation in clinical trials (patients/families) and the provision of (CTG clinical trials teams) which they will communicate to each other using creative media, with the goal of enhancing future initiatives to reflect patient and family needs and encouraging participation in innovative clinical trials.
The importance of Art Therapy in supporting patients and families on their cancer journey and in providing psychosocial benefits to oncologists who suffer high rates of stress and burnout is known. Art4Knowledge will expand on this and facilitate communication and exchange of important, non-clinical knowledge to support all those involved in a cancer patient’s journey. An exhibition of artworks across UCC CTG sites, at a UCC CTG retreat and via an online gallery will allow us to share this knowledge with the wider hospital and research teams and the public – creating awareness of the experiences and perceptions of patients with cancer, particularly around clinical trials. We anticipate that Art4Knowledge will help us provide a more holistic care pathway for cancer patients and help us address the fear patients may have about participating in clinical trials.
In speaking about the Award, Prof. Connolly stated:
"As the first Art Therapy intervention to include patients, families and clinical trials teams, Art4Knowledge will allow all participants to share experiences and perceptions, thus improving relations between patients and caregivers, and addressing patient fears around clinical trials."
Find out more about the UCC Recipients of the award at www.ucc.ie/en/news/ucc-researchers-success-in-hrb-knowledge-translation-awards-2022.html
Read about all of this year's HRB KTA recipients at www.hrb.ie/news/news-story/article/hrb-invests-e1-2-million-in-26-new-knowledge-translation-awards/