Department of Humanities
Humanities at Penn State College of Medicine
The mission of the Department of Humanities is to advance humanism in medicine and society.
When Penn State College of Medicine opened its doors in 1967, the Department of Humanities was one of its founding departments. In fact, it was the first Department of Humanities ever to be included in a college of medicine in the United States.
Our Department of Humanities and its stewardship of the Health Humanities curricular pillar reflect the rich history of medical humanities. The department’s first two chairs were trained in religious studies, and original faculty were literary scholars and philosophers. Our current faculty are trained in a variety of disciplines, including anthropology, literature, clinical medicine, ethics, cultural studies, women’s and gender studies, Asian Studies, and science and technology studies, and bring diverse perspectives to bear on their research and teaching. Collectively, we pursue scholarship to advance knowledge, improve teaching, and contribute to our community on local, national, and international levels.
Penn State College of Medicine's humanities curriculum in medical education is required of all students, demonstrating our commitment to the central role of humanities learning to enhance humanistic practice. We now utilize a critical health humanities framework focusing on medicine, illness, health, and disability in their social contexts.
Medical students engage with humanities learning in their pre-clerkship coursework, during clerkships, and in their final year of study. Humanities faculty collaborate across the institution in a wide variety of research projects and conduct independent research in their areas of specialization. The Humanities Department also supports arts and health programs at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and across Penn State Health, as well as the student-led literary and arts journal Wild Onions and the Gold Humanism Honor Society for medical students and residents.
The Department of Humanities is all around you. Join us as we advance humanism in medicine and society.
Bernice L. Hausman, PhD
Humanities Department Chair
Penn State College of Medicine
More about Humanities @ Penn State
Educational Programs
Humanities Spotlight
Center Stage Arts in Health
Center Stage Arts in Health program brings exciting opportunities for everyone to become involved in the arts at Penn State Health's Hershey campus. The program offers opportunities for patients, students, health care providers, staff, artists and community members.
Physician Writers' Group
Dr. Kimberly Myers founded the Penn State Health Physician Writers' Group as a means of fostering physician wellbeing by providing a structured opportunity for self-reflection and creative expression within an intimate, open, and confidential space. Small PWG cohorts convene on a revolving basis, and PWG publications regularly appear in major general and specialist medical journals.