MedHum is an interdisciplinary research hub that supports Humanities and social science based research on health and medicine at the University of Oxford, and promotes public awareness of the contribution the Humanities make to a proper understanding of health, disease, and medicine.
MedHum provides a radical corrective to the common assumption that cutting-edge research and innovation in healthcare and medical treatments lie solely within the domain of physicians and laboratories. It highlights instead the crucial role of cultural, historical, and ethical perspectives in understanding health, illness, and medicine.
Dr Alberto Giubilini, part of the Medical Humanities Research Hub team, commented:
"The award is a recognition not only of the quality, but also of the breadth of the work carried out by TORCH Medical Humanities in terms of interdisciplinarity, inclusion of different voices, and connecting humanistic and scientific inquiry.
At the core of its activity is the idea that humanistic inquiry is neither an ancillary nor a competitor of medicine and science. Instead, they are both essential components of that synergy required for a comprehensive understanding of humans, their health, and their environment.
‘Diversity’ can have different meanings in academia, and Medical Humanities embraces all of them. Experts from different parts of the world have contributed to its activity, local communities have been engaged in its research programmes, and academics at different career stages have ensured a nice blend of enthusiasm and experience. This award is a recognition of the good work done in all these dimensions and an incentive to continue to improve."
For the full story see the TORCH website
Find out more about the awards on the Vice-Chancellor awards webpage