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Medical and Health Narratives

Description

We are interested in the study of narrative in the conceptually related but institutionally separate fields of bioethics, medical humanities, medical journalism, and health communication.  In recent years, narrative has assumed a central role in the professional practices and disciplinary concerns of these fields, among many others. Bioethicists write, use, and critically explore narrative case studies used in training biomedical practitioners to think and act ethically; some write stories about bioethical concerns and issues for popular audiences; and some study the often vexed relationship between bioethics and the media. Scholars of the medical humanities and the medical practitioners they train are concerned with the use of narrative to produce insights and understanding about the human experience of illness and humane medical practices. Medical journalism employs narrative to dramatize and contextualize newsworthy medical information and knowledge important to individual and public health, and scholars of narrative journalism have applied narrative theory in understanding and explaining the work journalism does in the public sphere. Health communication scholars use and study narrative as a tool for changing health behaviors. 

The University of Minnesota has a depth and breadth of scholarly expertise across these fields, and we believe that scholars across these fields who share an interest in narrative—its potentialities and limits in serving the public interest—have much to learn from one another. Our graduate group fosters interdisciplinary discussion and collaboration that will lead to knowledge creation and theory building in the social scientific and humanities-based approaches to medical and health communication. We expect the research produced to further the ends of sound, ethical, and responsible professional practice across these fields. The group will enrich the education and research of graduate students whose interests cross these disciplinary and professional fields.

Leadership

The primary contact for this group is Kathy Roberts Forde (School of Journalism and Mass Communication).  Carl Elliott (Center for Bioethics) is also part of the leadership team.

Membership

Please direct questions about the new interdisciplinary graduate groups to Vicki Field, Director of The Graduate School’s Office of Interdisciplinary Initiatives, field001@umn.edu or 612-625-6532.