University hosts inaugural Medical Humanities Symposium
On 20 January, the University hosted its inaugural Medical Humanities Symposium, organised by the St Andrews Medical Humanities Network in collaboration with the Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Studies (GSIS). Chaired by GSIS Director and Senior Lecturer (Medicine) Dr Morven Shearer and Associate Lecturer in Medical Humanities Dr Richard Bellis, the event brought together scholars from diverse disciplines to foster cross-disciplinary collaborations in the medical humanities.
Eighteen researchers from nine schools presented their work. The symposium’s four sessions (Exhibition, Narrative, Storytelling; Assessing Medical Research; Medical Humanities Methods; and Wellbeing Through Life) covered a wide range of topics, including the integration of humanities approaches into STEM research, ethical considerations in health research priority setting, and the benefits of interdisciplinary methodologies. Discussions also focused on the importance of narratives in understanding health and illness, and the potential of humanities perspectives to enrich scientific studies.
Dr Jaipreet Virdi, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Delaware, delivered a keynote lecture entitled, ‘Beyond the shot: The complex history of Depo-Provera and endometriosis.’ Her talk traced the evolution of Depo-Provera, an injectable synthetic progesterone, from an endometriosis treatment to a contraceptive, highlighting how the cultural and political narratives associated with the drug have impacted its development.
The symposium successfully highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in the medical humanities, fostering a deeper understanding of health and illness through diverse perspectives and innovative research approaches.