Theme statement:

How do we come to know health—our own or that of others? In a time marked by global crisis, inequality, and rapid technological change, lived experience offers vital, yet often marginalised, forms of knowledge. This one-day conference brings together Early Career Researchers across disciplines to explore health through the lens of lived experience: its stories, its silences, and its capacities for change.

At present we are dealing with multiple global crises which are impacting lived experiences of health. Cuts to medical research and healthcare in the US have adversely affected pregnant women, transgender people and ethnic minorities. A mental health crisis is occurring due to global cuts to mental health provision. Antibiotic resistance has led to the reappearance of TB, a disease previously thought to be eliminated. The incidence of malaria and other infectious diseases are rising. The political discourse surrounding the effectiveness of vaccinations has contributed to this global rise in infections. Climate change has increased the incidence of diseases transmitted through water and food, and pushed some communities into poverty. Advances in AI have been touted as a way to provide healthcare for people who lack essential access to services, but could lead to further health inequalities and loss of control of our personal health data. Ongoing wars have created further health crises such as malnutrition in Gaza and mental health issues and trauma care in Ukraine, with hospitals and the most vulnerable being targeted for destruction. At the centre of these issues are people’s lived experiences of health; and how we as scholars, artists, scientists and researchers can support better understanding of these stories and create futures which improve people’s health.

We invite critical, creative, and collaborative contributions that rethink what counts as knowledge, who counts as expert, and how health is felt, represented, and transformed. We also welcome perspectives from the natural sciences, for example research on infectious diseases where lived experience intersects with biological mechanisms and public health systems. This symposium encourages approaches from the arts, natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences, and foregrounds co-production, public engagement, and inclusive research practices.

Call for Papers:

We invite proposals for a one-day, interdisciplinary conference exploring lived experience as a mode of knowing, representing, and transforming health in the context of crisis.

The conference will take place at Birkbeck, University of London in late March/early April 2026 and is part of the ECR Health Network, funded by the Wellcome Trust.

We welcome contributions from Early Career Researchers working in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and related fields. Submissions may explore themes such as:

• Illness narratives and autoethnography
• Mental health in cultural and political contexts
• Race, disability, and embodied inequality
• Technology, AI, and medical care
• Decolonial, feminist, or queer approaches to health
• Artistic, digital, or performative explorations of health
• Co-produced or participatory health research
• Infectious diseases and lived experience in the natural sciences (e.g. tuberculosis, malaria, parasitic and zoonotic infections, antimicrobial resistance)

Presentation formats include:

• Lightning talks (10 mins)
• Standard papers (20 mins)
• Creative formats: performance, film, roundtable, story circles

We are committed to accessibility and inclusivity. The conference will be hybrid, and travel support is available for UK-based ECRs.

To apply, please submit a 250-word abstract and a 50-word bio to ECRhealthconference@proton.me by 15th December 2025.

For questions or access needs, contact ECRhealthconference@proton.me.