Commentary by Perri Klass, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Journalism at New York University, and Medical Director of the national literacy program, Reach Out and Read Many many years ago, I think back when I was doing my >> Read more
Biocultures: Take 2
Commentary by Bernice L. Hausman, Ph.D.,Department of English, and coordinator of the undergraduate minor in Medicine and Society, Virginia Tech. On December 29, I acted as respondent to a panel on biocultures at the Modern Language Association meeting. The panel, >> Read more
What Is Medical Humanities and Why?
Commentary by Jack Coulehan, M.D., M.P.H., Professor Emeritus of Preventive Medicine and Fellow, Center for Medical Humanities and Bioethics, Stony Brook University, New York “Medical humanities” is one of those I-know-one-when-I-see-one terms. Taken literally, the two words have about the >> Read more
Medical Ethics on Stage
Commentary by Angela Belli, Ph.D. Professor of English, St. John’s University, New York City For those interested in the debates concerning ethical issues in biomedical science and technology, the domain to visit is the theater. Playwrights frequently focus on the >> Read more
Further Reflections on Medical Humanities
Commentary by Johanna Shapiro, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Director, Program in Medical Humanities & Arts, University of California Irvine School of Medicine The intriguing musings of Brian Dolan on this blog (Medical Humanities: Education or Entertainment?) >> Read more
A Psychiatrist and a Poet
Commentary by Ron Charach, M.D., Toronto psychiatrist, poet, and essayist. To be both a psychiatrist and a poet is either a dual calling or a double whammy, depending on what you choose to emphasize. Such a medical/literary hybrid has surely >> Read more
Grey Land: Soldiers on War
Commentary by Barry M. Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medical Humanities at University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry In June and July of 2007, I spent a month in Iraq photographing and interviewing soldiers of the Army’s >> Read more
Medical Humanities: Education or Entertainment?
Commentary by Brian Dolan, Ph.D., Professor of Social Medicine and Medical Humanities at University of California at San Francisco A few weeks ago, I hosted a workshop for faculty from a number of campuses who work within medical centers and >> Read more
Toward a New Aesthetic of the Body
Commentary by Laura Ferguson, Artist working in New York City Can a deformed body be beautiful? Yes, through an artist’s eyes – and I believe art can help medicine to broaden its vision, and embrace a new aesthetic of the >> Read more
The Story of S.: Teaching Poetry to Children with Disabilities
Commentary by Nicole Hefner, Teaching Artist for Teachers & Writers Collaborative and Language Lecturer at New York University For the past decade I’ve taught poetry to children with moderate to severe learning and mental disabilities in the New York Public >> Read more