The World Health Organization (WHO), Jameel Arts & Health Lab, and The Lancet have launched a global series of research papers and commissions titled the Lancet Global Series on the Health Benefits of the Arts, aimed at providing scientific evidence for the role of art in promoting physical and mental health. The first article in the series, a photo essay—the first photo essay in The Lancet's 202-year history—features 32 photographs curated by Stephen Stapleton illustrating art integration in clinical and institutional settings, including a clown school at a refugee camp in Turkey and a project by street artist JR at a California prison.
This initiative matters because it formalizes and advances the growing recognition within both the arts and medical communities that art can support positive clinical outcomes, health promotion, disease prevention, and the well-being of patients, healthcare providers, and wider communities. By publishing in a leading medical journal and building on a landmark 2019 WHO report of over 900 studies, the series aims to solidify the evidence base for arts-in-health interventions, potentially influencing healthcare policy and practice globally.