PhD study

Artistic Director of tree fish productions, Pete Carruthers, is also undertaking a PhD by Portfolio with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).

The title of the PhD thesis is ‘Empathy Machines: Using theatre and film in the training of compassionate and reflective health professionals.’

The PhD is being fully funded by UCLan, with £20k already provided for the first year of the project.

Starting in April 2022, the PhD is evaluating the impact of two historic projects and one live element:

• Historic project #1 covers the use of Pete’s three short films about military veterans’ mental health and transition to civilian life. These films have been used nationally and internationally to train health professionals working with military veterans. (To watch the trailers for the three films, click here)

• Historic project #2 covers the R&D phases of The Possibility of Colour and their impact on student health professionals’ learning in 2015/16 and 2021.

• Live project #3 looks at the 2022 Northern tour of The Possibility of Colour, specifically the impact on the learning outcomes of student health professionals. 

 

Objectives:

• Deepening understanding of the effectiveness of film and theatre as a pedagogical tool within the training of health professionals.​

 

• Deepening understanding of how and why student health professionals respond differently to film and theatre compared to the more traditional pedagogical approach.

 

• Producing a best practice model for the use of film and theatre as a pedagogical tool for future training.

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If you would like to know more about the PhD, including how you can involve your students, please contact Pete via the contact page.