Medical and Health Humanities BA, (Pre-DPT Specialization)

Medical and Health Humanities Major

College of Arts and Sciences
Degree BA, Medical and Health Humanities
Program Director: Amanda M. Caleb, PhD

Affiliated Faculty

Amanda M. Caleb, Associate Professor of English, BA Davidson College, MA, PhD The University of Sheffield

Joseph A. Cipriani, Professor of Occupational Therapy, BA Wilkes College; BS College Misericordia; MA Wichita State University; EdD Nova Southeastern University

Thomas Hajkowski, Associate Professor of History and Government, BA Seton Hall University; MA Villanova University, PhD Northwestern University

Susan McDonald, Assistant Professor of Social Work, BA Kings College; MSW Marywood University; PhD Fordham University

Mark Painter, Professor of Philosophy, BA Evergreen State College; MA University of North Texas; PhD University of Missouri

Brenda Pavill, Associate Professor of Nursing, BSN Wilkes University, MS Bloomsburg University, MSN College Misericordia, PhD Marywood University

Anthony Serino, Associate Professor of Biology, BS MS University of Scranton; PhD The Pennsylvania State University

Ryan Weber, Assistant Professor of Fine Arts, BA, MA Queens College - The City University of New York; PhD University of Connecticut

The Medical and Health Humanities program addresses the need to recognize the connections between disciplines that are often thought to be disparate in order to focus on the “human” and human dignity in the medical and health sciences, which involves the subjectivity of cultural, familial, philosophical, spiritual, mental, and social conditions. The Medical and Health Humanities major prepares students for careers in medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, pharmacology, healthcare ethics, public health, public policy, healthcare administration, health education, community health, patient care coordination, healthcare lobbying, medical history, medical anthropology, and medical/healthcare writing.

Program Goals and Outcomes

The program in Medical and Health Humanities helps its majors to:

1. Understand difference in perspective of holism and reductionism in the diagnosis, narrative, and definition of wellness.
2. Understand how non-medical disciplines contribute to the study and treatment of illness, disease, and care, including social justice, historical, literary, ethical, and philosophical perspectives.
3. Understand how cultural perspectives impact the concept of wellness.
4. Understand the concepts of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice as they relate to the preservation of human dignity and human rights.
5. Develop strong writing skills across multiple disciplines and addressed to varied audiences.
6. Develop strong oral communication and presentation skills.

The Medical and Health Humanities program goals are realized in the following student learning outcomes:

Program Goal 1 Outcome:

1. Students will evaluate holism and reductionism in the diagnosis, narrative, and definition of wellness, including biomedical, narrative, and bio-psychosocial models.

Program Goal 2 Outcome:

1. Students will compare and contrast different non-medical approaches to understanding illness, disease, and care.

Program Goal 3 Outcome:

1. Students will assess how cultural perspectives impact concepts of wellness and health.

Program Goal 4 Outcome:

1. Students will evaluate the application of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice to issues of human dignity and human rights.

Program Goal 5 Outcome:

1. Students will demonstrate strong writing skills across multiple disciplines and addressed to varied audiences.

Program Goal 6 Outcome:

1. Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly, effectively, and compellingly.

The Medical and Health Humanities major provides students with a strong and multidisciplinary background in issues relate to medicine, health, and the humanities. The major has a large number of free electives and allows students to join the pre-Doctor of Physical Therapy program, specialize in pre-law, or pursue a double major in another humanities discipline.

College of Arts and Sciences
Degree BA, Medical and Health Humanities
Program Director Amanda M. Caleb, PhD
For information regarding the Doctor of Physical Therapy contact Susan P. Barker, PhD

The Medical and Health Humanities major compliments the Pre-Doctor of Physical Therapy program by encouraging students to think critically and analytically about the medical and health professions and practices. The flexibility of the major allows for students to complete the requirements for the BA degree in 3 1/2 years and pursue a minor if they so choose. The total number of credits required for graduation with the Medical and Health Humanities, pre-DPT is 120.

Students completing the BA in Medical and Health Humanities prior to entering the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program will complete the requirements below. Further information on maintaining satisfactory progress toward entry to the DPT program may be found in the Physical Therapy DPT, (Entry-Level)  section of the catalog.