What the movement to integrate the arts and health can teach us about making research matter
Researchers and health professionals are advocating for the integration of arts into public health policy, as highlighted by a new collection from The Lancet. The article argues that research impact requires moving beyond academic publication to influence public conversation and practice.
Why it matters
This shift in research methodology emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to solving complex health and social challenges.
28 Sep 2026 Top of page Main text More on this topic image credit: Oresti Tsonopoulos/courtesy of NYU Arts & Impact . You may also like
Researchers, health professionals, policymakers and artists, including Grammy Award-winning musician Jon Batiste (above), gathered at New York University during the UN General Assembly Healing Arts Week in September to launch The Lancet ’s first global collection on arts and health.
That mix was deliberate: evidence rarely travels by itself.
The collection , which shows how the arts “contribute to mental, physical, and social health”, offers universities a broader lesson: producing knowledge is only part of making research matter. We must consider how evidence enters public conversation, practice and policy.
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