Kirsten Ostherr, PhD, MPH, (English and Medical Humanities, Rice University) presented the Medical Humanities Lecture “Translational Humanities for Public Health” on October 28, 2020.

The importance of the Medical Humanities has never been more apparent than it is during the coronavirus crisis. The pandemic has shown that human connection, social bonds, and creative expression play a powerful role in shaping our health outcomes, as do the legacies of historical injustices, societal inequality, and cultures of discrimination. Medical Humanities exposes these patterns in our health and illness experiences, while also offering new pathways to intervene and improve the well-being of our communities.

In this talk, Professor Ostherr discussed the ways that Medical/Health Humanities can develop translational practices that bring novel insights and methods to frontline pandemic responses, highlighting the importance of collaboration across fields of scholarship and practice, particularly across humanities, engineering, and clinical practice.

Supported by the Presidential Initiative to Celebrate the Impact of the Arts and Humanities, the Medical Humanities Research Cluster and Dr. Dan Shin, Class of 1991.