Question re Medical Humanities

[Chris Johnston]

I've been involved in a couple of medical humanities groups for a few years, and it just occurred to me to wonder - are any other PAN members involved in medical humanities in any way?

For me it sits at the intersection of my interests: healthcare change and research on the one hand, and creative writing on the other. It's also a forum in which healthcare providers seem to find it easier to let go of the artificial barriers between professionals and patients, and just be present and human together.

Would be interested to hear from anyone else on your experience of medical humanities and whether you find it supports your patient partnership involvement.

[Alies Maybee]

@Chris-Johnston I have never heard of this but am interested. It sounds like a fit for how PAN and many of us within PAN think about healthcare.

[Debra Turnbull]

@Chris-Johnston Like Alies, I'm not rightly sure what medical humanities is...

I recently argued an ethics case and submitted to the hospital Ethics department. Does that fall within the definition?

[Kim Giroux]

I wonder if digital storytelling fits here. I have seen some amazing work in that space, though I have never done it myself.

[Joan Tu]

@Chris-Johnston Yes, I am involved, loosely more as a patient activist, not as a patient partner. I self-publish and have had educational resources (patient booklet, activity books, story books) reviewed by medical experts and scientists. My story book about my chemical allergy is part of the Green Chemistry library, and the second book about disability was funded by Calgary Arts development. This is a two book series called The Green Soap Girl. I also blog and post carousel stories on social media and patients, educators, and healthcare professionals engage with my content. This winter I am working on another storybook about a young patient with asthma, and also looking for ways to get funding for a comic book about experiences entering and leaving medical school.

[Chris Johnston]

@Alies-Maybee @Debra-Turnbull @Kim-Giroux @Joan-Tu Many thanks for your comments all

Medical humanities is an interdisciplinary field of study that sits at the intersection of humanities (history, ethics, philosophy etc.), social sciences (anthropology, sociology etc). and the arts (creative writing, music, dance, painting etc.) to explore the human experience of health, illness and healthcare.

I'm no expert having never studied it - but I chanced across a group called Obliquity a few years ago that was holding regular exploratory discussions online with artists, clinicians and patients.

Cross-Pollinations is a similar group, though there tend to be fewer patients present, and discussion often veers towards the more academic.

But over the years both groups have yielded significant insights into the clinical mind, and how their mindsets are shaped by health systems and health professional education. I hope they've had similar insights about how our experiences are shaped by their care and their systems.

I think it has helped me immensely in terms of broadening discussions with researchers and clinicians in ways they find easier to grasp. So I was interested to learn if it was something that other patient partners had experienced or not.

[Chris Johnston]

@Debra-Turnbull It's certainly related Debra - and perhaps could be seen as a potential application for studying medical humanities.

[Chris Johnston]

@Alies-Maybee @Debra-Turnbull @Kim-Giroux @Kim-Giroux If it's of interest, have just received notice of the next Obliquity workshop:

Join us on December 1, 2025 (5:30 PM MST) for the HYBRID workshop An Artistic Exploration of Ancient Healing Fountains and Contemporary Health Apps with Mariléne Oliver. You may attend virtually OR attend in person (Katz Group Centre For Pharmacy And Health Research Building; Room 1080)

Marilène Oliver is an Associate Professor in Art & Design whose artistic research is at a crossroads between new digital technologies, traditional print and sculpture, her finished objects bridging the virtual and the real worlds. She works with the body translated into data form in order to understand how it has become 'unfleshed', in the hope of understanding who or what it has become. Oliver uses various scanning technologies such as MRI, CT, and PET to reclaim the interior of the body and create works that allow us to materially contemplate our increasingly digitized selves. In 2018 Oliver was selected to present her research at TEDMED. Oliver leads LASERAlberta, a series of arts and science public talks affiliated with Leonardo/ ISAST. Oliver currently leads the research projects Dyscorpia: Future Intersections of the Body and Technology, Know Thyself as a Virtual Reality and is the lead of the Art & Working group for the Smartwear Revolution project.

Please click HERE to register to attend.

Note: Previous Obliquity workshop recordings are available to watch on the Obliquity website, and older sessions from their Youtube account.