Helen Adams

Helen Adams is Head of Audience and Engagement Support for the six Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM) at the University of Oxford, UK.

She was previously Digital Engagement Lead at Oxford GLAM, a curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum, coordinated public engagement for primary care health services, and spent many years conducting audience research at the V&A Museum, London.

She has extensive experience of leading innovation, interpretation and community engagement projects.

Helen will be speaking at:

Museums, Health & Wellbeing Summit

Monday, 6th February 2023

You Can’t Schedule Mental Health

Despite museums pouring time and money into digital content, there has been a lack of research into its health impacts. Meanwhile, a stark statistic is that most mental health problems emerge before the age of 25, yet people aged 16–24 are the least likely age group to seek help. In 2020-21, museum practitioners and clinical psychiatrists at the University of Oxford took these two starting points to conduct the first ever multi-method study and medical trial of an online cultural experience in young people. This presentation shares the findings of the research and suggests how cultural engagement can promote self-care, prior to diagnosis or social prescribing.