Societies are increasingly confronted with an array of complex issues related to health, including medical privacy, rural healthcare, addiction, aging, disability access, and the ethics of new technologies and treatments. Health Humanities explores the cultural, historical, economic, and demographic factors that impact health, healthcare, and health policy. A broad, interdisciplinary field, Health Humanities unites practicing health professionals, traditional humanities scholars, artists, writers, and humanities and social science students, as well as pre-health and health professions students. This major focuses on health and healthcare delivery in their cultural, historical, aesthetic, and political contexts with the aim of developing clinical empathy skills necessary for patient-centered care; a holistic understanding of health issues and ethics; and culturally informed communication skills.

Health Humanities prepares students for health-oriented postgraduate programs as well as for diverse careers in healthcare delivery and leadership. This program prepares students for an array of roles in government, the healthcare industry (including marketing, sales, medical research, consulting, and insurance), civic engagement, and administration in the private and public sectors. The curriculum is designed to train students to meet emerging challenges in our healthcare system as well as changes in medical education. This program is dedicated to training the next generation of national and international health leaders—from doctors and health professionals to economists, technological designers, health journalists, and policymakers.