Medical Humanities Blog

On Structural Barriers to Interdisciplinarity

Jonathan Kahn (Hamline Univ. Law), an attorney and an historian of science, has a new paper out in the latest issue of one of my favorite journals, Perspectives in Biology & Medicine.  The paper is entitled The Two (Institutional) Cultures: A Consideration of Structural Barriers to Interdisciplinarity.  Here is the Abstract:

C. P. Snow’s famous Two Cultures essay has become a foil for decades of discussions over the relation between science and the humanities. The problem of the “two cultures” is often framed in terms of how the particular epistemological claims or general intellectual orientations of particular individuals on either side of this purported divide obstruct interdisciplinary dialogue or cooperation. This formulation, however, fails to consider the institutional frameworks within which such debates occur. This article examines the broader structural constraints that provide incentives, erect barriers, or otherwise shape the potential for interdisciplinary research and practice, with particular attention to work involving the life sciences. It argues that in order to understand the nature and scope of the problems facing interdisciplinary work, we must focus on the institutional constraints that shape how individuals frame questions, pursue investigations, develop careers, and collaborate.

The article is recommended.

On Public Opinions on the Social Determinants of Health

Stephanie A. Robert and Bridget C. Booske (Univ. Wisconsin - Madison) have a new article out in the American Journal of Public Health entitled US Opinions on Health Determinants and Social Policy as Health Policy.  Here is the Abstract:

To examine what factors the public thinks are important determinants of health and whether social policy is viewed as health policy, we conducted a national telephone survey of 2791 US adults from November 2008 through February 2009. Respondents said that health behaviors and access to health care have very strong effects on health; they were less likely to report a very strong role for other social and economic factors. Respondents who recognized a stronger role for social determinants of health and who saw social policy as health policy were more likely to be older, women, non-White, and liberal, and to have less education, lower income, and fair/poor health. Increasing public knowledge about social determinants of health and mobilizing less advantaged groups may be useful in addressing broad determinants of health.

The American tendency to conflate health with health care is a major obstacle to appreciation of the importance of the SDOH.  This article adds to the literature demonstrating that this conflation is in fact real and common.  The article is recommended.

US Opinions on Health Determinants and Social Policy as Health Policy

Call for Papers: "Noble Suffering: Representations of the Experience of Pain"

Call for Papers:  47th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo, Michigan, 10-13 May 2012*

"Noble Suffering: Representations of the Experience of Pain"

Sponsor: Medica: The Society for the Study of Healing in the Middle Ages

This session will examine the redemptive potential for pain and suffering as evidenced in the material and literary culture of medieval Europe.  We invite proposals that investigate portrayals of both emotional and physical suffering in religious and secular art and literature.  Speakers are encouraged to explore representations of redemptive pain as expressed in images, objects, and texts from a broad range of perspectives, from saint to sinner, romantic hero to base criminal.

Possible topics include:

• Images of pain in religious art and texts, such as renditions of scripture, the lives of the saints, etc.
• Representations of pain in literature, such as romance, drama, fabliaux, etc.
• Images and treatment of pain in medical texts
• Associations of pain and suffering with specific diseases, such as leprosy
• Pain and suffering in secular punishment

Please send abstracts of no more than 300 words and a completed Participant Information Form (PIF) by e-mail to Linda Migl Keyser

(keyserl@georgetown.edu)

by *15 September 2011*. 

Additional information for applicants and the PIF are available at http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/submissions/index.html.

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(h/t H-SCI-MED-TECH listserv)

Although I am an amateur and an interloper, I maintain an intense, long-standing interest in medieval history, both in terms of its dialectic relationship with the studia humanitatis -- which, contrary to popular belief, really originated in the late Middle Ages rather than exclusively in the Renaissance -- and as to several topics in medieval medicine, most notably the history of pain in medieval culture.  My understanding is that the Kalamazoo conference is the landmark medieval studies conference in the U.S., and it is very cool to see a panel being proposed on pain.

For those wishing further reading on this subject, please do check out Esther Cohen's masterful recent monograph on pain in late medieval culture.

Call for Papers: Southern Association for the History of Medicine & Science Fourteenth Annual Meeting

Call for Papers  

SAHMS Fourteenth Annual Meeting 

March 2-3, 2012, Emory Conference Center, Atlanta, Georgia 

DEADLINE:  October 15, 2011

The Southern Association for the History of Medicine and Science (SAHMS) invites paper proposals for its fourteenth annual meeting on March 2-3, 2012, at the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

SAHMS welcomes papers on the history of medicine and science, broadly construed to encompass historical, literary, anthropological, philosophical and sociological approaches to health care and science including race, disabilities and gender studies. Participants may propose individual papers of panels of several papers on a particular theme.

Each presenter is limited to 20 minutes, with additional time for questions and discussion. Please do not submit papers that have already been published, presented or scheduled for presentation at another meeting. All participants are responsible for their own travel expenses and must pay registration costs in advance of the meeting.

NOTICE TO STUDENTS:  Student travel awards are available each year; for more information and to submit applications, contact SAHMS President Michael Flannery at flannery@uab.edu.  Please see http://www.sahms.net for Student Travel Award Guidelines.  All applicants must submit paper proposals; the deadline for both is October 15.

 To submit proposals, please visit the online submission site at:

http://www.uab.edu/lister/sahms

Required elements for the online proposals include Title, Purpose Statement, Rationale and Significance, Methodology, Sources, Findings & Conclusions, and Three Learning Objectives.  For questions or problems with the submission site, contact Dr. Lisa Pruitt (lpruitt@mtsu.edu), Program Committee Chair.

______________________________________________

I am a member of the SAHMS, and have had the privilege of presenting at the last two annual meetings, and can report that the meetings are just wonderful, collegial affairs, with a lot of high-quality papers and topics being organized and presented.

Call for Applications: Director, Center for the History of Medicine and Public Health, New York Academy of Medicine

Title

Director, Center for the History of Medicine and Public Health

Mission of the Institution

The New York Academy of Medicine advances the health of people in cities. An independent organization since 1847, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world's urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, innovative research, evaluation, education and community engagement.  Drawing on the expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are:

To create environments in cities that support healthy aging

To strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public's health

To implement interventions that eliminate health disparities

The NYAM Library
 
The NYAM Library, which opened its collections to the general public in 1878, has a collection that includes over 500,000 volumes, 275,000 portraits and illustrations and about 400,000 pamphlets.  The collection comprises primary and secondary materials in the history of medicine, public health, science and other health-related disciplines, including a rare book collection of approximately 35,000 volumes, with manuscripts and archives dating from the 17th century B.C. to the present.  Books from the 17th and 18th centuries are a particular area of strength in the Academy’s collections as are materials related to the history of medicine in the City of New York.  The collection is supported by an extensive reference collection of medical bibliography, biography, biographical dictionaries, dictionaries and library catalogues, as well as books on the history of books and printing.  The NYAM Library was a founding member of the Independent Research Libraries Association (IRLA), which according to its criteria for membership includes libraries that “house collections of international significance that are capable of supporting sustained research in a variety of interrelated subjects and of attracting scholars from all over the world.”  Currently, the Historical Collections supports a variety of different programs, including two residential fellowships and an annual lecture series.
 
The Gladys Brooks Book and Paper Conservation Laboratory was established in 1982 for the express purpose of caring for the NYAM Library’s materials.  In addition to its preservation mandate, the Lab also plays an important role in the training of future generations of conservators through its internship and volunteer programs and offers professional educational opportunities through a robust calendar of workshops and lectures. 

Summary Description and Responsibilities

NYAM is establishing a new Center for the History of Medicine and Public Health to enhance awareness of and access to the NYAM Library’s important research collections.  The Center will serve to promote the scholarly and public understanding of and enthusiasm for the history of medicine and public health and the history of the book while stimulating intellectual inquiry in these fields.  The aim of the new Center is to strengthen connections among and serve as a resource for an interdisciplinary community of scholars, educators, clinicians, curatorial and conservation professionals and the general public.     
 
NYAM is seeking a founding director to establish the new Center. The director, who will report to the president as a member of the NYAM leadership team, will provide visionary and intellectual leadership for the Center while assuming administrative authority for its operations, budget, staff and extensive library collections.  The director will take the lead in increasing exposure of the Library’s collections to potential researchers and donors as well as to the general public by overseeing the creation of a host of dynamic scholarly and popular programs, including the organization of conferences, research seminars, online exhibits, workshops and other educational activities in the areas of the history of medicine, public health and the study of the book.  The Director will also lead the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of high-quality online and onsite programs.  S/he will oversee the creation of the Center’s online presence and the enhancement of the NYAM Library’s digital profile.
 
The director will be responsible for developing the academic and professional collaborations necessary for the Center’s programs.  S/he will act as an ambassador for the Center to a varied community of academic, professional and social organizations.  A primary responsibility of the incumbent will be fundraising and donor relations, chiefly the cultivation of donors and solicitation of major gifts, as well as oversight of grant writing. 

Qualifications

The successful candidate will be an acknowledged scholar, energetic and committed to the success of the new Center. S/he must have a distinguished record of scholarship and service in the history of medicine and/or public health.  A PhD is preferred, but candidates with an equivalent record of achievement will be strongly considered.  Demonstrated success and a progressive record of accomplishment as an administrator and proven fundraising capabilities are essential.  An excellent compensation package, including a six-figure salary commensurate with skills and experience, is offered. 

 
To Apply

Please email a resume and cover letter with the names of three references to hr@nyam.org.  Please include “Director, Center for the History of Medicine and Public Health” in subject line.

For more information, visit our website: www.nyam.org.

The New York Academy of Medicine is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Given the overall state of academic job markets in the humanities, there seem to be to me a relatively large number -- yes, 5-6 is large given the overall size of the HoM academic community and general academic market for historians -- of very attractive positions for historians of medicine and public health.  Given the NYAM's own institutional history, resources, and its wonderful recent programming in the history of medicine and public health, this one is obviously at the top of the list. 

Call for Applications: Assistant Professor of the History of Medicine, University of Warwick

University of Warwick
Department of History
Centre for the History of Medicine,
Assistant Professor of the History of Medicine

(Wellcome Trust University Award

£36,862 - £44,016 pa           Ref: 712293-071)

 
You will conduct research in the history of medicine (broadly construed), both individually and in collaboration with colleagues inside and outside of the Department. You will have a proven record of achievement in research, with clear potential and/or demonstrated international excellence in publication in an area or areas in the history of medicine since the Renaissance. Preference will be given to candidates whose work will extend the expertise of the Centre for the History of Medicine and the Department of History.
 
You will have undergraduate teaching experience, experience of preparing and submitting grant applications, as well as experience of, or the potential for, participation in collaborative grant initiatives and management. You will teach undergraduate and postgraduate students to a high standard and participate, as appropriate, in the administration of the Department's activities and in organising conferences, seminars and other events in the Centre for the History of Medicine.
 
You will initially be funded by the Wellcome Trust University Award scheme. Please note that the appointment is a two-stage process, with the University of Warwick nominating the preferred candidate for consideration by the Wellcome Trust for a University Award.  This candidate, on nomination to the Wellcome Trust, will be required to produce a funding application, outlining a major research project resulting in high quality outputs to be conducted within the University Award period. 
 
For more information and to apply, please visit our website.

Minicom users: 024 7615 0554.
 
Closing date:    26 August 2011
 
www.warwick.ac.uk/jobs