Research Hero of the Month – November 2025

This month’s Research Hero is …

The Attune project is a participatory arts-based exploration of young people’s mental health following adverse childhood experiences. Ranil Tan, Principal Investigator, and Louise Combes, Drama Therapist, previously worked in EMERGE* which supported the ATTUNE research project.

Both Ranil and Louise have been nominated for their innovative workshops conducting arts-based exploration of young people’s mental health, incredible patient involvement and successful engagement throughout the study.

Clare Paul, Professional Lead for Allied Health Professions, nominated the Attune project as she felt the project was

“A really successful study, engaging a population with complex needs. Co-production and service user involvement has been a strong element throughout”.

Reflecting on the project, Ranil explained

“What I’ve appreciated most about this research is how young people have been so central to the design, delivery and outputs…. Our service users often really struggle to be represented in research. We are so proud to know their voices have been included so meaningfully”.

The Attune project has emphasised the importance of true co-production and the positive impact this can have. We want to celebrate the dedicated effort that went into engaging in such a creative way and to showcase the incredible possibilities of truly inclusive research.

*EMERGE is a complex emotional needs service that works with people who as a result of complex trauma and adverse life experiences have developed ways of coping and surviving that cause them harm and distress.

Page last updated: 21st Oct 2025 10:22am