Interspecies entanglement in clinical end of life care
Event details
Invitation to a networking conference and sandpit event: 25 -26 June 2019, The University of York.
Dr Vanessa Ashall and Professor Joanna Latimer are delighted to announce a new Wellcome Trust funded interdisciplinary project. Supported by Prof Stephen Wilkinson (Lancaster), Prof Miriam Johnson (Hull York Medical School) and Dr Amanda Boag (President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) this grant aims to explore the professional, academic and policy potential of interspecies end of life care research.
Background
Contemporary approaches in the social sciences are destabilising traditional boundaries between human and non-human animals through acknowledging complex interspecies relationships in our society. The concept of 'interspecies entanglement' has recently been used within sociological studies of biomedicine, human and veterinary healthcare; broadening the scope of interdisciplinary spaces to include research which crosses both species and professional boundaries. Previous Wellcome Trust funded research, conducted by Dr Ashall, has introduced the veterinary treatment of companion animals as an important empirical space from which to access unique accounts of experiences, frustrations and preferences related to the medical treatment of humans.
This project seeks to apply the concept of interspecies entanglement to the development of a new stream of interdisciplinary end of life care research. Such an approach would connect social, ethical and legal studies of end of life care for humans and animals though empirical research centred on the disparities and growing similarities between veterinary and medical healthcare approaches; including palliative care and euthanasia. This small grant will first bring together healthcare professionals from the medical and veterinary settings to share their experiences of animals and humans becoming ‘entangled’ during end of life care conversations in the clinic. Academic researchers will then explore how the study of such interspecies entanglements offers opportunities to forge connections with and between existing streams of research and create new interdisciplinary spaces.
Finally, policy influencers and regulators will be invited to explore how such research might offer new perspectives on pressing policy debates. The grant aims to generate a credible research agenda for future interspecies and interdisciplinary end of life care research, including the identification of collaborative routes to impact. Future work will benefit from this early opportunity to develop robust professional, academic and policy networks.
Academic event aims
Approximately 20 scholars from across the social sciences, medical ethics, law, interspecies and interdisciplinary research are invited to this informal 2 day event. The group will explore preliminary outcomes from the cross-professional stakeholder workshop and the concept of interspecies entanglement in order to identify new connections within and between existing and future research streams. The aim of the event is to develop a detailed agenda for future collaborative research, in addition to creating a robust interdisciplinary network.
Funding for this event includes travel, accommodation, lunches and a networking dinner for all attendees.
Day 1: Lunch on arrival. Networking Conference: Professor Latimer and Dr Ashall will lead structured presentation and discussion sessions, allowing attendees to share their own research interests before exploring as a group the new collaborative opportunities that interspecies end of life care research creates. A networking dinner will conclude Day 1.
Day 2: Sandpit event: Working in smaller groups, attendees will develop a research agenda for interspecies end of life care research. Topics to be explored will include research questions, research methods, funding opportunities and collaborative routes to impact. The group will also consider opportunities to formalise a collaborative research network going forward. Lunch will be provided before departure on Day 2.
RSVP by Friday 12 April 2019. We are inviting a very small number of scholars whose combined expertise creates a unique opportunity for interspecies and interdisciplinary collaboration. We very much hope you will be able to join us for this exciting event!