About
Creative Synthesist is the brand name for Jane Hearst and her collaborators.
Jane is a Doctor of Creative Health, known for her work integrating the arts into healthcare systems. She currently serves as the Research and Policy Manager at the National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH), where she is responsible for synthesising evidence for policymakers and senior health and social care leaders. As an Honorary Research Fellow at UCL, she also works on the Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities (MCA) programme, where she uses Implementation Science approaches to identify barriers and limitations to developing Creative Health infrastructure.
Jane would describe her work as pragmatic, creative, and nonpartisan; informed by entrepreneurial practice and systems change theory.
Her role at NCCH involves:
- Developing APPG events and policy briefings,
- Compiling evidence submissions for government and healthcare,
- Editing special editions issues of journals,
- Compiling the annual Creative Health Research Round-Up,
- Reporting on the charity's impact,
- Developing accessible blogs, videos, and resources to support knowledge mobilisation,
- Managing NCCH's case study and research databases.
Her work at UCL involves:
- Developing accessible data visualisations that map stakeholders and journeys,
- Creating succinct 'enablers and barriers' resources for cultural and healthcare practitioners to share best practice in implementation,
- Contributing to academic journals,
- Co-editing a book showcasing projects from the MCA programme,
- Sharing key insights at webinars and events.
At Creative Synthesist, Jane's work primarily consists of:
- Writing and editing professional books
- Producing multi-media about creative health (think: videos and podcasts, with the odd song thrown in for fun)
- Supporting book reviews from other creative health authors
Prior to her work at NCCH, Jane offered additional consultancy services. To get an idea of her broader skillset, you can watch her services video from that time: