The Compassion Salon: Gavin Francis and Ruthanne Baxter Join us for an inspiring evening with Gavin Francis and Ruthanne Baxter. Dive into thoughtful conversations that explore the heart of compassion. This is your chance to connect, reflect, and be part of a warm, engaging event. Don't miss out on this unique experience!Gavin Francis is a doctor and a writer, a GP and a Fifer, and the author of several books about medicine, culture, and travel. His latest book The Unfragile Mind draws on thirty years of practice, and aims to bring some kindness, humility and curiosity into the public conversation about mental health and mental illness.Visit Gavin's websiteRuthanne Baxter is Civic Engagement Manager for the University of Edinburgh Heritage Collections and creator of Prescribe Culture, an award-winning, heritage-based non-clinical initiative for mental health and social care. Ruthanne leads the Civic Engagement Service for the Library and University Collections at the University of Edinburgh and in this role, in 2019, she established Prescribe Culture, a multi-award winning health and wellbeing initiative. Ruthanne is currently the Co-Lead, Community Connections for EMS300 and also sits on the University’s Community Board and the Student Mental Health Research Cluster. In her free time, Ruthanne runs Gladden Village, an online social health programme that utilises heritage stories as a trellis for supporting a sense of connection and community for individuals who are not able to be out and about, as much as they would like. Gladden VillageThe Compassion Salon is a literary salon which brings together authors, poets, comedians, musicians and other creatives to share their work and reflect on compassion in contemporary life. Recent salons at Steel Coulson Southside have featured conversations between, novelist Karen Campbell and musician Karine Polwart, as well as appearances by Hannah Lavery, Paul Gilbert Deborah Ritchie, Ian Rankin, Gavin Francis and many others offering audiences a unique blend of narrative and performance.The Compassion Salon was founded by Dr Marti Balaam in 2019. Marti is a social entrepreneur, healthcare educationalist, social scientist and author who has worked in health, and social care education for many years. She is currently the student experience co lead for Edinburgh Medical School 300, a Senior Lecturer in Medical Education and Nursing Studies at the University of Edinburgh and Director of Professionalism within the undergraduate medical programme. She is passionate about the power of compassion and how we can integrate it into our lives and work to transform society. Marti works with Global partners to develop programmes of work, share new strategies on compassionate engagement and learn from global and local experiences of how other communities practice compassion.The Salon Marti says is 'a place for people to connect, inspire, and support using books and prose to reflect on human existence in a fragmented, challenging but wonderful world.Compassion Salon Linktree May 04 2026 19.00 - 22.00 The Compassion Salon: Gavin Francis and Ruthanne Baxter Join Gavin Francis and Ruthanne Baxter at The Compassion Salon chatting about compassion in their work and lives. Steel Coulson Southside 114 Causewayside Newington Edinburgh EH9 1PU Book your place via Eventbrite
The Compassion Salon: Gavin Francis and Ruthanne Baxter Join us for an inspiring evening with Gavin Francis and Ruthanne Baxter. Dive into thoughtful conversations that explore the heart of compassion. This is your chance to connect, reflect, and be part of a warm, engaging event. Don't miss out on this unique experience!Gavin Francis is a doctor and a writer, a GP and a Fifer, and the author of several books about medicine, culture, and travel. His latest book The Unfragile Mind draws on thirty years of practice, and aims to bring some kindness, humility and curiosity into the public conversation about mental health and mental illness.Visit Gavin's websiteRuthanne Baxter is Civic Engagement Manager for the University of Edinburgh Heritage Collections and creator of Prescribe Culture, an award-winning, heritage-based non-clinical initiative for mental health and social care. Ruthanne leads the Civic Engagement Service for the Library and University Collections at the University of Edinburgh and in this role, in 2019, she established Prescribe Culture, a multi-award winning health and wellbeing initiative. Ruthanne is currently the Co-Lead, Community Connections for EMS300 and also sits on the University’s Community Board and the Student Mental Health Research Cluster. In her free time, Ruthanne runs Gladden Village, an online social health programme that utilises heritage stories as a trellis for supporting a sense of connection and community for individuals who are not able to be out and about, as much as they would like. Gladden VillageThe Compassion Salon is a literary salon which brings together authors, poets, comedians, musicians and other creatives to share their work and reflect on compassion in contemporary life. Recent salons at Steel Coulson Southside have featured conversations between, novelist Karen Campbell and musician Karine Polwart, as well as appearances by Hannah Lavery, Paul Gilbert Deborah Ritchie, Ian Rankin, Gavin Francis and many others offering audiences a unique blend of narrative and performance.The Compassion Salon was founded by Dr Marti Balaam in 2019. Marti is a social entrepreneur, healthcare educationalist, social scientist and author who has worked in health, and social care education for many years. She is currently the student experience co lead for Edinburgh Medical School 300, a Senior Lecturer in Medical Education and Nursing Studies at the University of Edinburgh and Director of Professionalism within the undergraduate medical programme. She is passionate about the power of compassion and how we can integrate it into our lives and work to transform society. Marti works with Global partners to develop programmes of work, share new strategies on compassionate engagement and learn from global and local experiences of how other communities practice compassion.The Salon Marti says is 'a place for people to connect, inspire, and support using books and prose to reflect on human existence in a fragmented, challenging but wonderful world.Compassion Salon Linktree May 04 2026 19.00 - 22.00 The Compassion Salon: Gavin Francis and Ruthanne Baxter Join Gavin Francis and Ruthanne Baxter at The Compassion Salon chatting about compassion in their work and lives. Steel Coulson Southside 114 Causewayside Newington Edinburgh EH9 1PU Book your place via Eventbrite
May 04 2026 19.00 - 22.00 The Compassion Salon: Gavin Francis and Ruthanne Baxter Join Gavin Francis and Ruthanne Baxter at The Compassion Salon chatting about compassion in their work and lives.
