A new public engagement installation which showcases how creative arts can be used to communicate research, is set to launch within the Manchester Museum’s South Asia Gallery to coincide with World Cancer Day 2025.

The installation has been co-created by academics within The Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health (FBMH) as part of the University of Manchester’s commitment to improving cancer outcomes globally.  The multidisciplinary research team behind the project came together with funding from Greater Manchester Cancer, to explore the lower rates of breast cancer screening uptake among women from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Indian heritage.

Left to right: Omolade, Binish, Suz, Rajiv, Ashu, Lucie and Naomy

In partnership with the Fatima Women’s Association, the project used the Tree of Life methodology—a narrative therapy approach—to create safe spaces for dialogue where women from south Asian communities across Oldham shared stories of their roots, life journeys, and health experiences, uncovering the shared connections that bind diverse communities and some of the barriers they have experienced within these communities in relation to accessing breast cancer screening.

The exhibition will be available for the public to visit from 6^th February to 1^st May 2025.

Meet the research team behind the project.

Hear from Dr Binish Khatoon, research team member and data scientist, about her experience developing and delivering the Tree of Life project.

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