Privacy policy
1. Definitions and Interpretation
2. Data Collected
- 2.1 name;
- 2.2 date of birth;
- 2.3 job title & profession;
- 2.4 contact information such as email addresses and telephone numbers;
- 2.5 demographic information such as post code, preferences and interests;
- 2.6 financial information such as credit / debit card numbers;
- 2.7 IP address (automatically collected);
- 2.8 web browser type and version (automatically collected);
- 2.9 operating system (automatically collected);
- 2.10 a list of URLS starting with a referring site, your activity on this Web Site, and the site you exit to (automatically collected); and
- 2.11 Cookie information (see Clause 10 below).
3. Our Use of Data
- 3.1 Any personal Data you submit will be retained by Shame Lab for as long as you use the Services and Systems provided on the Web Site. Data that you may submit through any communications System that we may provide may be retained for a longer period of up to one year.
- 3.2 Unless we are obliged or permitted by law to do so, and subject to Clause 4, your Data will not be disclosed to third parties. This includes our affiliates and / or other companies within our group.
- 3.3 All personal Data is stored securely in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998. For more details on security, see Clause 9 below.
- 3.4 Any or all of the above Data may be required by us from time to time in order to provide you with the best possible service and experience when using our Web Site. Specifically, Data may be used by us for the following reasons:
- 3.4.1 internal record keeping;
- 3.4.2 improvement of our products / services;
- 3.4.3 transmission by email of promotional materials that may be of interest to you;
- 3.4.4 contact for market research purposes which may be done using email, telephone, fax or mail. Such information may be used to customise or update the Web Site.
4. Third Party Web Sites and Services
5. Changes of Business Ownership and Control
- 5.1 Shame Lab may, from time to time, expand or reduce its business and this may involve the sale of certain divisions or the transfer of control of certain divisions to other parties. Data provided by Users will, where it is relevant to any division so transferred, be transferred along with that division and the new owner or newly controlling party will, under the terms of this Policy, be permitted to use the Data for the purposes for which it was supplied by you.
- 5.2 In the event that any Data submitted by Users will be transferred in such a manner, you will be contacted in advance and informed of the changes. When contacted you will be given the choice to have your Data deleted or withheld from the new owner or controller.
6. Controlling Access to your Data
- 6.1 Wherever you are required to submit Data, you will be given options to restrict our use of that Data. This may include the following:
- 6.1.1 use of Data for direct marketing purposes; and
- 6.1.2 sharing Data with third parties.
7. Your Right to Withhold Information
- 7.1 You may access certain areas of the Web Site without providing any Data at all. However, to use all Services and Systems available on the Web Site you may be required to submit Account information or other Data.
- 7.2 You may restrict your internet browser’s use of Cookies. For more information see Clause 10 below.
8. Accessing your own Data
- 8.1 You may access your Account at any time to view or amend the Data. You may need to modify or update your Data if your circumstances change. Additional Data as to your marketing preferences may also be stored and you may change this at any time.
- 8.2 You have the right to ask for a copy of your personal Data on payment of a small fee.
9. Security
10. Changes to this Policy
11. Contacting Us
Shame Engagement in Medical Learners
Our ongoing analysis has thus far revealed that:
- shame often centers on--and is sustained by--entrenched assumptions about oneself, especially in relation to others, operating as facts.
- constructive engagement with shame involves challenging these assumptions and considering alternate possibilities.
- shame recovery often includes a transition from an internalized, distressed state to an externalized, other-oriented state.
- constructive shame engagement entails efforts to stabilize self-concept, the success of which is afforded by underlying emotional "scaffolding." We are still in the process of more fully understanding what comprises this scaffolding.
Measuring shame exposure in medical learners
We are planning follow on studies to explore the prevalence and epidemiology of shame in medical learners and healthcare professionals. This will include exploring relationships among shame and factors such as gender, race/ethnicity, specialty, etc. These data will provide different, meaningful insights than those afforded by our qualitative research program.
Will is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and and a veteran of the United States Air Force. He received his M.D. at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 2010 and Ph.D. in Health Professions Education at Maastricht University in the Netherlands in 2023, where defended his thesis entitled “Out of the shadows: a qualitative exploration of shame in medical learners.”
Along with Luna, he is a co-creator of The Shame Space, a global consortium that advances open communication about the role of shame in healthcare, a co-producer on the award winning “Shame in Medicine” podcast series produced by The Nocturnists, and a co-founder of The Shame Lab, which catalyzes research and training to advance shame competence in healthcare and beyond. He is the author of over 30 peer-reviewed publications and has given over 150 workshops and presentations to top hospitals, conferences, and organizations such as Massachusetts General Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, and the American Hospital Association. He has received numerous awards for his research including Best Paper by the AAMC Research in Medical Education Committee in 2021 and Best Doctoral Report by the Association of Medical Educators of Europe in 2023.
Luna is Professor of Philosophy and Medical Humanities at the University of Exeter, based at the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health. She has been researching shame for over 15 years, and is PI of the Shame and Medicine Project (2020-2025), funded by the Wellcome Trust, and was PI of the Scenes of Shame and Stigma in COVID-19 Project (2020-2022), funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council. Luna is author of The Body and Shame: Phenomenology, Feminism and the Socially Shaped Body (Lexington Books, 2015), and co-author of Covid-19 and Shame: Political Emotions and Public Health in the UK (Bloomsbury, 2023), co-authored with Fred Cooper and Arthur Rose. She worked with Matthew Gibson to develop principles for Shame-Sensitive Practice, and subsequently Luna developed training in ‘shame competence’ in collaboration with the Devon & Cornwall Police. She has also worked closely with the Plymouth Trauma Informed Network to embed shame competence into trauma-informed approaches to practice. See Luna’s University of Exeter Staff Profile here.
James is a member of the Enterprise & Innovations Programmes Team, working on commercialisation and consultancy for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. James supports academics in understanding and developing the best pathway to ensure greater impact from research. This could be seeing if any potential licences, spinouts or consultancy projects would be the best routes. James also works on the ESRC/AHRC SHAPE Catalyst, which supports the commercialisation of research across all UK Universities and SHAPE academics.
Vivienne is the Project Administrator and works one day a week to support the team. She has been working at the University of Exeter since January 2013, on a number of research projects.
Vivienne has been a contact point for people wishing to attend the Shame Competence for Trauma-Informed Practitioners Training based in Plymouth. She has been sending the delegates the information needed to attend and is contacting them with the evaluation surveys at each suitable point. This will help us to gather as much data as possible and ensure the final survey is sent two months after the training for each delegate. She is also supporting the trainers with regard to the venue and resources.
Anna is a fourth year medical student at the Duke University School of Medicine. During her time in medical school, she has co-led her medical school’s Wellness Committee and created a podcast entitled “A Flutter” to better understand how stigmatized emotions and life circumstances affect medical learners’ educational experiences. Alongside Will and Luna, she has participated in research that explores medical learner engagement with shame and identifies factors influencing this engagement. She has presented this work at professional meetings, including the AAMC Annual Meeting. Anna plans to pursue a career in pediatrics after medical school.
Sophie is a Second Year Psychology Student at the University of Exeter and a Technology Transfer Student Intern at Exeter Innovation. She has focussed her studies on Cognitive Psychology and Qualitative data analysis.
Sophie is currently a Welfare Officer at Exeter University Labour Society, further creating an understanding of how our cognition affects our behaviour. With training in Sales and Market Research, she will be furthering the knowledgebase of where The Shame Lab sits in the market.
Anna is a PhD student at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University, supported by Midlands4Cities Doctoral Training Partnership (AHRC). Building on her professional experience in working with people in the social care sector, Anna's research looks at the role of shame in the relationship between marginalisation and violence. She has a BA(hons) in Health and Social Welfare, an MSc in Development Management, and an MSc in Mindfulness and Compassion. Anna is delighted to further develop her understanding of shame through working with The Shame Lab. You can find out more about Anna on her M4C student profile or her Coventry University profile.
With 20 years’ experience working in drug & alcohol services with people who have experienced profound & complex trauma, Vicky initially worked within the criminal justice system with the Prolific Offender Unit, then for 10 years in the child protection & safeguarding arena working with parents. Vicky spent 3 years working across the South-West Peninsula with the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC), a fundamentally trauma-informed approach to supporting families through care proceedings. Vicky’s background is in delivering training & facilitating group work & she has been delivering training specifically on trauma informed approaches since 2020. Vicky was the Network Coordinator of the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network from 2021-2024 & is now the Trauma Informed Practice Lead with Zebra Collective, facilitating & designing trauma-informed & solution-focused programmes. Vicky feels privileged to be trusted to deliver Professor Luna Dolezal’s shame competence training & believes shame-sensitivity to be an integral & essential component of trauma-informed practice.
As a Social Worker Sarah has worked across a number of different teams working with children and families. Sarah’s roles have included working as a child protection Social Worker, child protection chair and a LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer). She has also worked in a specialist sexual abuse service working therapeutically with children and young people who have been affected by sexual abuse and/or who have shown sexualised behaviours. Sarah has worked with adults where there is a concern of a risk of sexual harm to children along with protective parents. Sarah is also a consultant trainer for a national organisation who specialise in improving understanding of and responses to child sexual abuse. Alongside Vicky Brooks, Sarah has been involved in developing and delivering the trauma informed practice training, for the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network since 2020.
Chay Sutton works for the University of Exeter to support academics engaging in contract research, consultancy and knowledge transfer partnerships. He is the director of a videography, photography and social media strategy company based in the South West of England. In his role with the Shame Lab, Chay develops the social media strategy, creates content and coordinates marketing campaigns. He also looks after the ShameLab website and coordinates training delivery.
Chantelle Lunt is a writer, lecturer, PhD researcher, and activist with extensive experience in public services, including key roles in policing and children's social care. Her current PhD research delves into the further education of care-experienced young people, aiming to understand disparities in tertiary educational outcomes for this vulnerable group.
As the Chair of the Merseyside Alliance for Racial Equality CIC (MARE), a leading non-profit organisation, Chantelle is dedicated to advancing racial equality across Merseyside through innovative, grassroots community-led education initiatives.
In her capacity as a Borough Councillor for St. Gabriel’s ward, Chantelle has made history as the first Black woman elected to this position. She also serves as the Deputy Mayor of Halewood Town Council, where her work continues to drive meaningful change in community empowerment.
Hannah is the in-house artist for the Shame Lab. Hannah works freelance with a wide variety of projects, using illustration and broader creative practice to illuminate stories from research. She is particularly interested in creating images that surface hidden narratives and shed light on the specificity of lived experiences of health. Hannah’s illustrations have won awards, and she also works in many other creative capacities, including making research toolkits and as a creative facilitator in multi-disciplinary research projects. You can find out more about her work at www.hannahmumby.co.uk.