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A Lens on Human Experience

Cultivating empathy & critical thinking in health, culture & the arts

A Lens on Human Experience ➔

Cultivating empathy & critical thinking in health, culture & the arts

Podcast

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

A thoughtful conversation on aging, mortality, and balancing quality of life with survival in care decisions

Dave Hsu 03.30.26

Narrative

The Only Doctor Hawthorne Would See

A physician-poet uses storytelling and moral conviction to challenge deadly medical ignorance and earn Hawthorne’s trust.

Joshua Doležal 03.25.26

Reflection

Eat Your Ice Cream

A pragmatic guide to longevity that favors balance, evidence, and meaningful human connection.

Russell Teagarden 03.16.26

Reflection Video

Stories of Illness, Stories of Loss 

An essay linking Holocaust memory books to the art of medical history-taking and illness narratives.

Howard Trachtman 03.09.26

In Focus ➔

In Focus: Activism ➔

MedHum highlights activism’s power in turbulent times, advancing policy change in medicine, research, health, and prisoner rights.

Film Review Focus

When AIDS Activism Went Inside a Hospital: Ward 5B at San Francisco General

Documentary recounts San Francisco’s Ward 5B, where nurses and activists humanized AIDS care amid…

Russell Teagarden 03.23.26

Focus Reflection

Craftivism is Activism

From AIDS quilts to protest knitting, craftivism transforms domestic creativity into engaging tools for…

Jacalyn Duffin 03.23.26

Book Review Focus

Blood in the Water: The Attica Uprising of 1971 and its Legacy by Heather Ann Thompson

A powerful history of the Attica prison uprising exposing injustice, political power, and America’s…

Howard Trachtman 03.20.26

Book Review Focus

Blood Feud: The Man Who Blew the Whistle on One of the Deadliest Prescription Drugs Ever by Kathleen Sharp

A gripping account of pharmaceutical whistleblowing, corporate misconduct, and the deadly consequences of profit-driven…

Jacalyn Duffin 03.18.26

Reviews ➔

Reviews ➔ All

Litmed Poem Review

I Watched You Disappear by Anya Krugovoy Silver

A poetry collection exploring illness, loss, memory, and hope through intimate reflections on life and family.

Cortney Davis 02.26.26

Litmed Poem Review

From Nothing by Anya Krugovoy Silver

Anya Krugovoy Silver’s From Nothing transforms personal illness into transcendent, hopeful poetry.

Cortney Davis 02.25.26

Articles ➔

Articles ➔ All

Announcement Theater Review Video

Embodiment as Performance: Anne Gridley’s Watch Me…

Anne Gridley transforms walking into defiant performance, confronting disability, discomfort, and rare disease awareness head-on.

Rudy Malcom 02.24.26

Book Review

The Anatomist by Frederico Andahazi

Historical novel exploring 16th‑century anatomist Mateo Colombo’s controversial discovery of the clitoris.

Jack Coulehan 02.17.26

Interviews ➔

Interviews ➔ All

Practitioner Interview

Meet the MedHum Team: Jack Coulehan

Poet-physician Jack Coulehan reflects on medical humanities, technology’s impact, and poetry’s role in healing in this thoughtful interview.

Dave Hsu 02.16.26

Margo Weishar: The Excellent Doctor Blackwell

Announcement Artist Interview Focus

REVIEW

INTERVIEW

ARTICLE

MULTIMEDA

A Lens on Human Experience

A Lens on Human Experience ➔

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

The Only Doctor Hawthorne Would See

Eat Your Ice Cream

Stories of Illness, Stories of Loss

In Focus ➔

In Focus: Activism ➔

When AIDS Activism Went Inside a Hospital: Ward 5B at San Francisco General

Craftivism is Activism

Blood in the Water: The Attica Uprising of 1971 and its Legacy by Heather Ann Thompson

Blood Feud: The Man Who Blew the Whistle on One of the Deadliest Prescription Drugs Ever by Kathleen Sharp

Reviews ➔

Reviews ➔ All

I Watched You Disappear by Anya Krugovoy Silver

From Nothing by Anya Krugovoy Silver

Articles ➔

Articles ➔ All

Embodiment as Performance: Anne Gridley’s Watch Me…

The Anatomist by Frederico Andahazi

Interviews ➔

Interviews ➔ All

Meet the MedHum Team: Jack Coulehan

Margo Weishar: The Excellent Doctor Blackwell

Podcasts ➔

Podcasts ➔ All

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Daughters of the Bamboo Grove by Barbara…

Explore ➔

Explore ➔

SectionS

Explore

About us

A Lens on Human Experience