New roadmap integrates arts into global health and wellbeing

Researchers have developed a roadmap for integrating the arts across health and wellbeing systems globally, from population health and prevention to community pathways and clinical care. Based on a wealth of international evidence, the roadmap is outlined in the Jameel Arts & Health Lab–Lancet Global Collection on Arts and Health.

Professor Agustín Ibáñez, Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity College Dublin, is a co-author of both cornerstone papers in the Collection, alongside an international group of researchers, health experts and leaders in arts and culture.

The first paper, "The arts as a global health resource: key priorities for future research" (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(26)00610-0), synthesises evidence showing that engagement with music, dance, visual arts, theatre and other cultural activities can contribute to mental, physical and social health across the life course, from health promotion and prevention to the management and treatment of illness. The authors argue that the field has now reached a critical stage requiring strategic, systems-level integration.

The second paper, "Developing roadmaps for advancing practice, research, and policy in the arts and health" (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(26)00611-2), moves from evidence to action. It calls for equitable access to arts engagement, its inclusion in population-level prevention, stronger community pathways, evidence-based arts interventions in clinical care, and sustained cross-sector investment and research.

"This is a historic moment for medicine," said Professor Ibáñez. "For the first time, arts and cultural engagement are being brought together within a global medical framework spanning health promotion, prevention, treatment and care. 

"We are moving from seeing the arts as an optional complement to health towards recognising cultural engagement as part of how we understand, protect and improve human health."

The Collection goes further by proposing that arts engagement should be recognised as a health-enhancing behaviour, comparable in importance to other behaviours such as physical activity, diet and sleep, while stressing that implementation must be culturally grounded and locally adapted.

"For global brain health, this is particularly important," added Prof. Ibáñez. "Health emerges from the interaction of biological, psychological, social and cultural environments. Arts and culture are part of those processes. The challenge now is to build the evidence, policies and health systems that recognise this." 

Global launch during UN General Assembly week

The Collection will be presented in New York during Healing Arts at UNGA, NYC 2026, held alongside the United Nations General Assembly.

The research symposium, "The Jameel Arts & Health Lab–Lancet Global Collection on Arts and Health," will take place on Tuesday 22 September 2026, from 1:30–5:30 PM (US Eastern), at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place, New York, with Professor Ibáñez among the featured speakers.

The event forms part of Healing Arts at UNGA, NYC, running from 19–26 September 2026, bringing together researchers, artists, health leaders and policymakers around the role of creativity and culture in building healthier societies.