Students focus in on healthcare workers through expanding portrait series

The latest instalment of a series of photography honouring healthcare workers past, present and future has been unveiled at the University of Sunderland.

Future Care, a series of portraits by Johannah Churchill, Lecturer in Contemporary Photography at the University, is dedicated to healthcare workers and includes her image Melanie, March 2020 and portraits of two healthcare students.

Since its launch, the collection now includes new portraits and images taken by Photography students Scarlett Jean Kehoe and Ryan Stobart-Brown after Johannah passed the baton on through the Future Care Scholarship.

Set up after the launch of Future Care, students were offered the opportunity to add to the collection by submitting their own work and had the chance to be awarded the Future Care Scholarship.

Through this scholarship, both Scarlett and Ryan were awarded a £1,000 commission, mentorship from the Northern Centre of Photography and for their work to be exhibited on campus which were unveiled at an event at Murray Library at the University’s City Campus (9 December).

Johannah said:

“I am absolutely delighted that the students have had the opportunity to work across faculties and to exhibit their work in a professional context. Experiences like this open up new ways of thinking and allow students to see how their ideas and skills can translate across different fields.

“Photography plays a vital role in telling stories, helping us to reflect on lived experience, to humanise complex issues and to create connections between people and communities.

“The Future Care scholarships’ focus on the future of healthcare in a post-Covid context has given students a meaningful and timely framework for their work, encouraging them to think critically about care, resilience and innovation in society today.

“It has been a real pleasure to see them rise to the challenge and take full advantage of such a valuable opportunity. Thank you also to my technical team for helping our students make the ‘Future Care’ exhibition possible – from retouch to install.”

The entire Future Care series has been made possible through the generous contribution of honorary graduate and long-standing University supporter Mike Davies CBE, whose continued involvement is helping to develop both professional recognition for healthcare workers and creative opportunities for students. 

Scarlett’s work, Nabil, 2025 and Ramsha, 2025 explores the strong enthusiasm that healthcare students have and how care is learned, embodied and performed.

Scarlett said:

“This opportunity has given me valuable insight into how commissions work, supported throughout by Johannah’s guidance. It has prepared me for future projects and for my third year, especially in understanding that not everything will go exactly to plan but that strong work can still be produced.

“While that may sound simple, experiencing it in a professional environment has really put it into perspective. The scholarship also enabled me to purchase my own equipment, giving me greater independence and spontaneity for photoshoots. I’m incredibly grateful to have been selected.”

Ryan’s work, Jessica, 2025 and Instruments of Life, 2025, is acombined portrait and still life series that examines the everyday objects, tools and environments that shape the work of healthcare students. 

Ryan said:

“The Future Care series has been an excellent experience and opportunity, and the project presented challenges and obstacles along the way which I overcame. The project allowed me to connect and learn about healthcare during the photoshoots with the graduate medical student that I was worked with.

“The scholarship also helped me learn how to choose the final images out of the multiple photoshoots I did and how to display the images. It was helpful to know that my mentor and technicians were there to support me if I needed them.”

The collection stands as testament to the resilience, dedication and compassion of healthcare workers, while also highlighting the role that medical institutions and education continue to play in shaping the future of care. 

This addition to the series was also installed and printed using specialist equipment at the Northern Centre of Photography by specialist digital technician Michael Daglish.

Professor Helen Driscoll, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) at the University, said:

“The latest instalment of the Future Care collection showcases how projects like this gives students the confidence to be ambitious, to take creative risks, and to begin to understand what it means to professionalise themselves as emerging practitioners.

“Through the hard work of Ryan and Scarlett, these striking images are a fitting tribute to the dedication of health care professionals, institutions and educators who have shaped and safeguarded our society.”