Medical and Health Humanities
February 5, 2026
What is Medical and Health Humanities?Medical and Health Humanities emphasizes the social, cultural, and ethical dimensions of health and health care through the lenses of the arts and humanities. Xavier’s program draws primarily from history, language, literature, philosophy, theology, and writing, though the major curriculum also requires courses in the natural sciences and sociology. Topics of study in medical and health humanities include the history of medicine, medical racism, disability studies, bioethics, and narrative medicine, which is an approach to health care that emphasizes patients’ personal stories and practitioners’ listening, observation, and interpretive skills.
How does Medical and Health Humanities address the Xavier mission and prepare students for the future?
Medical and Health Humanities provides students with a holistic approach to health and health care in keeping with Xavier’s Jesuit Catholic mission to educate the whole student, body and mind (cura personalis). Students who study the humanities alongside the sciences develop critical, analytical, collaborative, and communications skills as well as interdisciplinary research expertise, preparing them for careers in a range of healthcare fields as well as for medical and health-professional post-graduate schools. According to Case Western Reserve Medical School, “Humanities programs focusing on health and healthcare delivery in their cultural, historical, aesthetic, and political contexts complement efforts of health professions schools to recruit students who are patient-centered, ethically intelligent, skilled in communication, and committed to equity, inclusion, and justice.”[1] Medical and Health Humanities prepares practitioners and patients, that is everyone, to navigate their experiences of illness and health with self-awareness and compassion.
Who might benefit from adding a MHH major or minor?
Xavier’s interdisciplinary Medical and Health Humanities program offers both a major (33-38 credit hours depending on science classes chosen) and a minor (15 credit hours). The Medical and Health Humanities major and minor are accessible to all students. Many MHH courses overlap with core curriculum requirements, allowing students to choose their own value-added path through the core based on their interests. Medical and Health Humanities pairs especially well as a minor or second major with another humanities discipline, any of the pre-medical or pre-health professional programs, and other health-related programs such as nursing, social work, psychology, and healthcare administration.
Jodi Wyett
Professor of English
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[1] Berry, Sarah L. and Erin Gentry Lamb. Medical and Health Humanities Baccalaureate Programs in the United States and Canada. Cleveland, OH: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. April 2024, 3. https://case.edu/medicine/bioethics/sites/default/files/2024-04/5323-01_2024%20SOM%20Baccalaureate%20Health%20Humanities%20Booklet%20%E2%80%93%20Rebrand%20Update%20%28FY24%29-Final.pdf
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