Humanities in Health Conference
Held April 7, 2016
This conference covered a broad range of content. Some presentations focused on research projects highlighting how skills and perspectives from the humanities can integrate into medical and public health research. Others featured examples of curricula that incorporate humanities into teaching and evaluation strategies. Yet others described innovative approaches to integrating the humanities into clinical care. All of this work underscores the important role of the humanities in addressing and improving human health. For example, presentations on cultural and linguistic competency demonstrated how these skills enhance our understanding of social determinants of health and identify new areas for improving the quality of care in our increasingly diverse community.
The humanities face a difficult battle in today’s educational system. In conversations around preparing college students for work, humanities are frequently eclipsed by more “marketable” fields, such as engineering, business, or computer science. Another problem is that the tools, skills, and methodologies used in the humanities are not as recognized by many applied fields including the health sciences. Keeping the humanities strong requires that we value their positive impact and include their important role in other disciplines. In light of this, the conference program allowed several opportunities for students, faculty, and community members to network, share ideas, and create new partnerships and collaborations. Full details of the conference focus, program, and sponsors can be found here (Link to pdf 1).
• Humanities in Health Editorial
Soudi, A., Gooden, S., Chang, J., Kiesling, S., & South-Paul, J. (2017) Humanities in Health Editorial. European Journal for Person Centered Healthcare 5 (4) 506-512, (Full set in EJPCH is in link above).
• Soudi, A. & South-Paul, J. (2017). An interdisciplinary approach to cultural competence education in an academic health, European Journal for Person Centered Healthcare 5 (4) 516-521
• Link to Photos