About this event
- Date and time Fri 5 Dec 2025 from 6:00pm to 5 Dec 2025 at 8:00pm
- Location Royal Society of Medicine
- Organised by History of Medicine Society
This special Sarah Hughes Memorial Lecture invites you to explore how our sensory systems shape the way we feel, connect, and learn.
Our senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, balance (vestibular), body awareness (proprioception), and internal signals (interoception)—work together to support regulation, curiosity, and human development. Yet sensory processing is deeply individual. When sensory input is missing, overwhelming, or out of sync, stress responses can dominate, influencing our health, behaviour, and relationships.
The lecture honours the memory of Sarah Hughes, a respected Guardian and Observer journalist whose extraordinary intellect and personality were matched by unique sensory experiences. Sarah’s story, told through a sensory-informed lens, illustrates the power of recognising sensory differences in understanding human behaviour.
One of the speakers, Mrs Emily Hills MSc, CNT, OTR, will explore these themes in “The Power of 8: Understanding Our Senses for Safety, Regulation, and Learning”, alongside Mrs Lindsay Hardy OTR. Emily brings both professional expertise and personal insight to the session—she was also Sarah’s younger sister, and for most of her life was in complete awe of her.
By attending this meeting, you will:
- Gain an understanding of the role of the senses in stress and regulation across a range of professions and contexts.
- Be able to apply this sensory-informed perspective in everyday life.
- Promote effective communication and understanding between the worlds of medicine, journalism, and wider society.
This event is available to attend in person or virtually. Please select your preference below.
A recording will be available for all registered event participants for up to 60 days after the event. The link will be sent 24 hours after the meeting.
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Show Virtual / In Person rates
Agenda
View the programme
Registration and reception
Welcome and introduction
Introduction to Sarah Hughes Trust and lecturer
Mr Adrian Berry KC, Chair, The Sarah Hughes Trust
The power of 8: Understanding our senses for safety, regulation, and learning
Mrs Emily Hills, Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist and Mrs Lindsay Hardy, Paediatric Occupational Therapist
Vote of thanks and reminder of why we are here, including highlighting this year’s Guardian and Observer’s Positive Action work placement scheme, Sarah Hughes Trust participants (Adrian Berry)
Closing remarks
Close of meeting
Dinner
Pre-registered delegates only
View the programme
Welcome and introduction
Introduction to Sarah Hughes Trust and lecturer
Mr Adrian Berry KC, Chair, The Sarah Hughes Trust
The power of 8: Understanding our senses for safety, regulation, and learning
Mrs Emily Hills, Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist and Mrs Lindsay Hardy, Paediatric Occupational Therapist
Vote of thanks and reminder of why we are here, including highlighting this year’s Guardian and Observer’s Positive Action work placement scheme, Sarah Hughes Trust participants (Adrian Berry)
Closing remarks
Close of meeting
Location
Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole St, Marylebone, London, W1G 0AE, United Kingdom
Registration for this event will close at 1:00am on Thursday 4 December 2025. Late registrations will not be accepted.
The agenda is subject to change at any time
If the event is recorded, we are only able to share presentations that we have received permission to share. There is no guarantee that all sessions will be available after the event, this is at the presenter’s and RSM’s discretion.
All views expressed at this event are of the speakers themselves and not of the Royal Society of Medicine, nor the speaker's organisations.
This event will be recorded and stored by the Royal Society of Medicine and may be distributed in future on various internet channels.