Since 1911, International Women’s Day has been a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, as well as a call for equity and inclusion.
To mark this year’s IWD, staff from the What Works Centre for Wellbeing – an independent centre which aims to improve the way government and other public-sector organisations create, share and use high-quality evidence in decision-making in the area of wellbeing – spoke with five of the leading female researchers it’s worked with over the last 10 years, to celebrate their experiences, accomplishments and ambitions. This included Brunel University London’s sport, health and social sciences expert Professor Louise Mansfield, the Director of Brunel’s Centre for Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifecourse. Her responses are reproduced below, with permission.
The What Works Centre for Wellbeing and Professor Louise Mansfield
We have worked together over the last 10 years, with Professor Mansfield leading on areas of our work on loneliness and connection, producing a tackling loneliness review of reviews and a Conceptual review of loneliness. She also produced our first systematic review on music and singing, and subsequent ones on sport and dance, visual arts, and outdoor recreation, among others. Many of these produced sector case studies, translated briefings, and blogs to support policy and practice. Much of this programme of work was used to develop methods guidance for the Centre, delivered stakeholder involved priority reviews, and supported the translation of evidence into visual summaries.
This year, Professor Mansfield has led our creativity and wellbeing review, which aims to better understand the pathways that link them. We launched a summary briefing, pathways model, introductory blog and full report as part of the project.
How did you get involved in wellbeing and working with the Centre?
Prof Mansfield: I was first involved with the Centre at its inception in 2014, with the Economic and Social Research Council call for evidence programmes. The one for culture, sport and wellbeing reflected my own interests and the growing developments on evidence-informed policy and practice. I became the Co-Principal Investigator of the programme, leading a group of senior academics in the fields from Brunel, the London School of Economics, Tampere and Brighton in designing and delivering systematic reviews of evidence that could inform policy and practice.
Has your role changed since working with us?
My long-term work has been in exploring the social, cultural and political interconnections between community sport and public health. I have always had a specific focus on understanding inequalities in this regard. When I joined the Centre, the wellbeing agenda for sport was starting to develop through sport policy, and the funding for the sport, culture and wellbeing evidence programme was a part of my career trajectory towards Professorship. My Professorial appointment reflected at least 15 years of funded work, publications and impact in the sociology of sport. This was broadly focused on building evidence to inform policy and practice about community sport-health issues.
What are you most proud of in your career?
Building a high-quality body of evidence and established scholarship about sport, culture, health and wellbeing. This has included high-profile funding for primary research, secondary evidence analysis and – crucially – public engagement across policy and practice over the past decade. Recognition in the form of being appointed a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) is one of my proudest moments; but so is every time I see people taking part in culture and sporting activities when they did not think it was for them because we have designed and delivered it to their needs and wishes.
Tell us about your ambitions for your future research, and how you’d like to see wellbeing research develop more broadly?
My ambitions are to ensure that high-quality evidence – both quantitative and qualitative – reach and serve the people who are making decisions about culture and sport in communities and Governments around the world. To achieve this, it is centrally important that wellbeing evaluation is supported in local and global contexts by developing researchers.
Can you share any advice with aspiring female researchers and academics?
Be creative and share your expertise. Do the work you want to do in the way you want to do it. Always aim for quality.
Read the original article for responses from all five leading female researchers interviewed by the staff of the What Works Centre for Wellbeing.
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