Call for Papers: National Conference for Physician-Scholars in the Social Sciences and Humanities

Call For Papers
Understanding the Past, Transforming the Future:
National Conference for Physician-Scholars in the Social Sciences and Humanities

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 28-29, 2009
http://scholarsinmedicine.blogspot.com/

This coming spring, MD/PhD candidates and graduates in the humanities and social sciences are pleased to be hosting a nation-wide gathering for social science and humanities MD/PhD students and graduates. Registration for the conference is now open. The conference builds on foundations laid at the 2007 University of Chicago meeting and the 2005 meeting at UCSF.

The coordinating committee for the 2009 conference would like to invite you to submit an abstract of original research for presentation at our March meeting in Philadelphia.

Given the nature of the conference, the scope of research presentations will inevitably be quite broad. Preference will be given to research which seeks to integrate clinical and extra-medical perspectives in a meaningful way, and which makes a contribution to our understanding of the complex interactions among health, culture, and society. We are particularly interested in highlighting the work of graduate students and new scholars in the field, though we encourage individuals at all stages in their education and career to submit.

Presentations may take the form of a 20-25 minute talk or a research poster. Please submit only one abstract, indicating the format in which you would like to present. We ask that you limit your submission to 350 words, and that you specify your primary research question, your methodological orientation, and your general conclusions.  We encourage abstract submissions from attendees who are in the early stages of their work or who are pursuing non-traditional enterprises in the social sciences and humanities. Those not selected for research talks will remain eligible for the poster session.

The meeting will take place March 28-29 2009 at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to research presentations and the poster session, our conference will feature keynote addresses by Dr. Vin-Kim Nguyen (Montreal) and Dr. Rita Charon (Columbia), Dr. Walt Schalick (Wisconsin) and Dr. Camara Jones (CDC). We will also host a career panel with an array of perspectives on dual-degree scholarship and practice, and there will be ample opportunity for interaction with colleagues in allied clinical and research fields.

For further information and instructions for submitting an abstract, please visit the conference web site at http://scholarsinmedicine.blogspot.com/

Abstracts are now being accepted, and will continue to be accepted until December 31, 2008.  You can contact the conference organizers at ssh.mdphd.2009@gmail.com .

General registration for the conference is now open.

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Description of the Conference

Understanding the Past, Transforming the Future

This conference aims to bring together physician-scholars and physician-scholars in training from a wide array of fields in the social sciences and humanities to foster cross-disciplinary communication and promote innovative research. In the process, we hope to encourage novel solutions to contemporary policy issues and advance the overall goal of humanism in medicine.

We are anthropologists, historians, psychologists, economists, sociologists, students of literature and art and so much more. We are at the frontiers of studying the place of medicine in society, and the place of society in medicine. Too often, however, individuals with dual-degree training of this sort find themselves isolated in their home institutions and limited by the confines of their extra-medical disciplines. This conference represents a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas and share experiences with like-minded individuals seeking to incorporate work in the social sciences and humanities into their clinical careers. Participants will also be able to discuss training issues that are unique to clinically trained researchers in multidisciplinary fields. Through contact with established physician- scholars, our meeting will be an occasion for students to establish the sorts of intellectual and social networks that are essential for sustained cross-disciplinary research and for future leadership roles in the medical profession.

The conference will take place March 28-29 at the University of Pennsylvania, and builds on foundations laid at the 2007 University of Chicago meeting and the 2005 meeting at UCSF. In addition to keynote speakers from a variety of fields, events at the 2007 conference will include a career panel, student presentations of original research, break-out sessions organized around clinical vignettes, and a poster session. There will also be ample opportunity to meet with colleagues in allied fields in both formal and informal settings. While the primary emphasis will be on efforts to bridge social scientific and humanities research with clinical work, the conference will be open to physicians and scholars whose backgrounds do not include formal dual- degree training. We encourage MD/PhD students at all stages in their educational trajectories to register, and welcome the involvement of established physician-scholars.

Further information, including speakers, schedule information, and abstract submission guidelines, are available online at http://scholarsinmedicine.blogspot.com/ . You can contact the conference organizers at ssh.mdphd.2009@gmail.com .

Please check back for updated information as the date of the conference approaches.

Conference Coordinating Committee
Elise Carpenter (University of Pennsylvania) Erica Dwyer (University of Pennsylvania) Deborah Doroshow (Yale University) David Myles (Yale University)

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What a terrific call; one of the few times I've actually wished I were a physician!

(h/t MED-ANTHRO listserv>