Our Center’s goal continues to be reaching as many people and communities as possible, at the University of Utah and beyond. This year we are delighted to begin new collaborations and sustain ongoing partnerships to bring you exciting and thought-provoking events and experiences. We join the Department of Philosophy and College of Humanities in announcing the beginning of the undergraduate degree program in Medical Humanities and celebrating the career of Dr. Margaret Battin who is retiring from the U (but staying on as an active member of CHEETAH). We are bringing to Utah three nationally recognized guest speakers from across the US, beginning with Dr. Erin Gentry Lamb from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine as our Health Humanities Lecturer just after Labor Day. All three of our Ethics Explored discussions this fall are collaborative: with the Center on Aging (ageism in healthcare), the School of Dentistry (ethics of fluoride), and Multitude Films (aid in dying and disability justice). As always, our long-running Literature and Healthcare discussion group is facilitated by expert faculty from across campus. Our ongoing partnership with UtahPresents means there are two live performances this season that you should be sure to attend. We are also proud to recognize the excellent work of our faculty and that of up-and-coming scholars.

Read on for more information and to mark your calendars!

Gretchen Case

Director

Check back often so you don't miss out on our collaborative events!

FACULTY in the NEWS

Margaret P. Battin

Peggy Battin's new book, Sex and the Planet: What Opt-In Reproduction Could Do for the Globe, was published by MIT Press in May 2024.

What if human reproduction were always elective? A prominent bioethicist speculates about the possibilities—and the likely consequences.

book details

Leslie Francis

A new book by Leslie P. Francis and John G. Francis, 'States of Health: The Ethics and Consequences of Policy Variation in a Federal System,' was published by Oxford University Press in May 2024.

“This book engages with the ethics and consequences of policy variation in a federal system. The book discusses the extraordinary range of policies about health and health care in the US, and the truly shocking differences in health outcomes that are associated with these policy differences. We argue that there are advantages to federalism, including possibilities for experimentation and for avoiding the worst case of national bans on ethically controversial care, but that these advantages will only be realized if people can readily move outside of their home states and if national minimums are achieved.”

book details

Gretchen Case

Gretchen Case's guest post on "Good Notes," a blog that features expert perspectives from U of U leaders and collaborators, discusses the intersection of the arts, humanities, and healthcare and the work we do at the Center.

Brent Kious

Brent Kious appears in an episode of "A State of Mind: Confronting Our Mental Health Crisis in Wyoming." A series created by PBS Wyoming to investigate answers to Wyoming's mental health crisis, this documentary series follows patient journeys through a combination of expert interviews and observations from regular people.

view here

Madison Kilbride

Madison Kilbride's research article, titled “Test-Takers’ Perspectives on Consumer Genetic Testing for Hereditary Cancer Risk,” was published in Frontiers in Genetics in July 2024.

Susan Sample

Susan Sample’s recently published poems include: "I Dream of a Needle," "Articulate, Please," and "When the Screen Retracts." They will appear later this year in Ars Medica, Canada's first medical humanities journal. Each presents a different perspective—an educator, writer, and daughter—on end-of-life issues.

Leslie Francis

Leslie Francis’ post on “Bill of Health,” a blog that examines the intersection of health, law, biotechnology, and bioethics highlights Louisiana's new law classifying misoprostol and mifepristone as illegal without a prescription for non-abortion uses, a move that continues to fuel legal debates despite the Supreme Court's recent rejection of a challenge to the FDA's approval of these drugs.

Brent Kious

We are pleased to announce that Brent Kious has been promoted to Associate Professor and awarded tenure in the Department of Psychology.

Leslie Francis

Leslie and John Francis' article, titled "How, and When, Federalism Is Good for Public Health," was published in Harvard Public Health in September 2024.

Susan Sample

Susan Sample's lyrical essay, titled "Afterlife," was published in Literature and Medicine in September 2024.

James Tabery

James Tabery and Arthur Caplan's article, titled "Donald Trump Wants to Make Eugenics Great Again. Let's Not," was published in Scientific American in October 2024.

Gretchen Case

Gretchen Case performed a new original work, “Rules for Safety,” at the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities in September as part of a panel on clinical ethicist experiences. She also had a presentation, “Layers of Medicine,” and a poster, “From spectator to spectActor: Teaching medical providers to interrupt bias through Forum Theatre,” co-authored with Center affiliates Quang-Tuyen Nguyen, Karly Pippitt, and Candace Chow, at the annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges in November

UBlock Medical Humanities students at whiteboard

Gretchen Case and Jim Tabery

"As programs face cuts, the U. is seeking a new 'medical humanities' degree that they say could help train better doctors," with quotes from Gretchen Case and James Tabery, as reported by the Salt Lake Tribune.

"Letter: It’s a no-brainer to support a new major in medical humanities" reported by the Salt Lake Tribune.

Gretchen Case

Gretchen Case on Good Things Utah, promoting this year's Healthcare Stories: JOY.

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"University of Utah Pioneers New Medical Humanities Degree," as reported by The City Journals, Draper's local community newspaper.

Brent Kious

Brent Kious appears in an episode of GeriPal: A Geriatric and Palliative Care Podcast for Every Healthcare Professional, titled "Palliative Care for Mental Illness: A Podcast with Dani Chammas and Brent Kious."

listen here

The Center for Health Ethics, Arts, and Humanities

The Center for Health Ethics, Arts, and Humanities

University of Utah Health

Welcome!

MISSION STATEMENT

Upcoming Events

Ethics Explored - Assisted Dying + Disability Justice in the Film "Life After"

Literature and Healthcare Discussion - Disability Visibility

Center Director's Message

Check back often so you don't miss out on our collaborative events!

FACULTY in the NEWS