The human condition requires us to develop a health consciousness; a realization that our corporal forms are, in fact, fallible. Mind and body alike are subject to the unpredictable: the interactive, ever-changing environment with its pathogens and pollutants, and the unique biochemistries of our bodies that will change over time. And yet, we often come to realize the centrality of health on our lives only when we come to experience illness and/or disability for ourselves. The suffering of illness in its varying depth causes us to slow down, confronting the material limitations of our own existence. It is this experience that becomes wisdom, teaching us what it means to be human, living within a body. And as such, experience teaches us empathy.

This blog page intends to be a curiosity-driven reflection on varying topics within the health humanities, from the history and culture of medicine and healthcare, the theories and practice of narrative medicine, and illness narratives as stories of embodiment. Language becomes critical: the text emerges as a point of interrogation, thus fostering skills of listening and observation through reading and self-reflection.

We will treat the art of reading and writing as profound ways of thinking and (re)imagining the human experience. Most critically, reading illness narratives will allow us to meet others with care, allowing space for life, suffering and death as they relate to the human condition. In short, we read to become better listeners and to meet others with renewed sensitivity. 

The spirit of our health humanities reading group was inspired by UCLA Professor Whitney Arnold's class that had encouraged a discourse on the intersections of literature and medicine, and the ways in which our society considers (and administers) healthcare. We hope to extend this conversation to the wider community, exploring what "health" really is, what it implies, and our approach to healing in society today. 

Topics we would like to explore (among many others):

• ​Variance and convergence between concepts of illness, sickness and disease

• Limitations of the biomedical model of understanding health

• Impacts of patient identity on self-hood 

Questions we would like to further (among many others): 

• What has contributed to our collective concept of "health," and what are the implications of un-health?

  • What are the different social barriers between patient and provider that mediate health outcomes? 

    • How do we advocate for a humanistic healthcare through realization of different illness narratives?