Lifelong Wellbeing

Lifelong Wellbeing is an overarching research theme promoting interdisciplinary research across all faculties and researchers at De Montfort University (DMU). The World Health Organization (WHO, 2020) defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Wellbeing is about feeling good and functioning well and comprises an individual's experience of their life as well as a comparison of life circumstances with social, cultural norms and values. Lifelong wellness is achieved by a healthy balance of physical, mental, and social health.

Our vision is to facilitate and develop transformative interdisciplinary research on lifelong health and wellbeing across the four faculties by building on our research expertise, and regional, national and international collaborations. Our research programmes will intersect with all 17 UNSDGs but will primarily address SDGs 1-6, 10, 11 and 16.

For this, we need to work strategically, capitalising on our strengths and proactively planning for large grant applications for research funding calls.

The subthemes of research areas under Lifelong Wellbeing will include:

• Mental health and wellbeing
• Ethnicity, race and health
• Digital technologies and health
• Pharmaceutical innovation
• Healthy active ageing
• Gender and health
• Addressing health inequalities
• Global health challenges
• Post-Covid recovery

These are an indicative list only to move forward with our planning discussions. These subthemes are flexible and can be fine-tuned based on our strengths, and new themes can be added that fit with our plans and strategy. 

The Lifelong Wellbeing theme aims to develop research capacity and capability by:

• Developing early- and mid-career researchers by creating a research register to capture interest and seed funding initiatives
• Encouraging cross faculty collaboration with research institutes and centres through workshops with external consultants, and national and international experts
• Planning funding applications with national and international partners (in areas such as pharmaceutical innovations, prisons/forced migration, global mental health)