Medical Humanities

Oxford MedHum

Medical humanities examines the relationship between health and society, situating medicine and disease within their political, social, historical, ethical, and cultural contexts.  It often uses ideas, tools and methods from disciplines such as history, art, philosophy, theology, and literature to create innovative strategies for understanding and improving health and healthcare. Decisions about whom to treat or when to treat them, how to prevent disease, and how to fund and develop health services cannot be made on the basis of science alone. They remain contentious ethical and political judgments, reflecting economic realities, contested histories, cultural norms, future aspirations, and socially-conditioned perceptions of risk. Medical humanities brings these judgments to light and enables us to examine them consciously.  Most fundamentally, medical humanities understands health and medicine as bound up with the human.

Contact: medhum@torch.ox.ac.uk

To be added to the medical humanities mailing list: medicalhumanities-owner@maillist.ox.ac.uk

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Academic Lead: Professor Erica Charters

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Banner image credit: The Projection Studio, the Diseases of Modern Life project and TORCH.

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Hear from researchers about their work in Medical Humanities:

OxMedHum Call for Activities

Are you researching aspects of health and medicine, drawing on tools and methodologies from the humanities and social sciences?  Do you have an idea for an event on medicine and its relationship to society?  The Oxford Medical Humanities Research Hub supports research activities in the field of medical humanities, broadly defined.  We can provide support for University of Oxford-based projects and research activities through the use of TORCH venues, advertisement, IT support, funding (up to £300 per application), and/or advice to connect with other sources of University funding and Oxford-based researchers.  For 2023-2025, we particularly encourage research activities that link to our current themes of: global health, public health, and/or community health.  
We invite applications, submitted to medhum@torch.ox.ac.uk, that outline:
-the event/project’s rationale (max 500 words)
-what support is requested (e.g. venue hire; networking with other Oxford researchers; financial support)
-a proposed budget (including pending applications to other sources of funding)
-details of applicants/those involved

Please note: the lead applicant must be based in the Humanities Division, and more than one University department must be involved.  We welcome applications from DPhil students, Early Career Researchers, research staff (whether college or department), as well as postholders.  Applications will be assessed termly from Friday week 2, with a summer pool assessed August 15.  You are welcome to discuss draft proposals in advance via medhum@torch.ox.ac.uk.