Places I Swim - art exhibition, talks & workshops

Emily Wood Ahmed is a visual artist, community facilitator and researcher based in North London. Her artwork is inspired by places she escapes to (water and mountains), and as a way to connect with her Mexican Native American Yaqui family culture and heritage. Alongside her creative practice, she works in health and wellbeing, community research and participatory engagement, and is a trained Reiki healing practitioner. Her work brings together creativity, mindfulness and care, creating accessible and supportive spaces for people to slow down and reconnectA specialist in creative, participatory research and co-production in health and social care. Emily brings over 25 years’ experience across the NHS, public health, local government, the VCSE sector, and academia, she bridges communities and institutions through applied research, training, and public involvement. Her work champions equity, lived and living experience, community work, the arts, and creative approaches to learning, research, and service improvement.A PhD researcher at Warwick Medical School (#CoProPhD), Peer Researcher Programme Manager at Newham Public Health, and works freelance as a co-production facilitator and public engagement specialist. Emily is an associate trainer and facilitator for with the ALC Action Learning Centre, Co-production Collective, and the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE). She is a member of the BSREC ethics committee at Warwick University and the IREC Independent Research Ethics Committee .Emily brings both learnt and lived experience of disability, chronic pain, neurodiversity, hypermobility, and navigating health and care systems as a family advocate.