News

Project symposium

26 June 2019

Our project symposium, ‘Health Technologies in Practice’, took place on the 19 – 20 June 2019 and was a great success, with 49 attendees from 24 institutions from across Europe. We’d like to say a big thank you to all our delegates and speakers.

Read a short summary of the event.

Two early career researchers reflect on their experience of attending the symposium:

Xiufeng Jia (Department of Sociological Studies, the University of Sheffield)

"I am a first year PhD researcher, studying how ordinary self-trackers feel about their self-tracking data in order to understand datafied agency. For me, this two-day symposium was like an academic holiday that took me away from my current busy work and brought me into an exciting and relaxing research exploration in a very friendly environment.

"All of the projects that the researchers presented from different perspectives were creative and meaningful for academics and the society. Besides, after a walking tour of Sheffield, this symposium provided a great opportunity for me to communicate with the researchers (such as Dr Btihaj Ajana, Dr Minna Ruckenstein and Dr Rachael Kent) from beyond the University of Sheffield who are working on self-tracking studies, when we were having a lovely dinner with other participants together.

"The whole event actually helped me improve my literature review and interview questions, and deal with some confusions in the methods in my research project. It also really encouraged me to be more enthusiastic to research, after experiencing how those researchers investigated new and interesting projects through their talks."

Lauren White (Department of Sociological Studies, the University of Sheffield)

"As a third year PhD researcher exploring the daily practices of people living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), the conference reminded me of important features of managing health present in my own research, alongside important methodological considerations.

"In particular, I was drawn to the relational practices of monitoring health, and how managing health or symptoms of broader illness can be situated in relational networks both in public and private lives. Moreover, I recognised the careful tightrope of negotiating surveillance and care, as both an individual and collective practice.

"Methodologically, I found familiarity in the materiality, and again attached my own research experiences of using paper diaries and object elicitations to those of the presenters. Reaching the end of the conference, I left with new connections, alongside insights and striking lines into the possibilities of monitoring health, as an affective, material and important lived experience in a fast and changing social landscape."