Center for Medical Humanities

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 The Center for Medical Humanities (CMH) serves as a platform at the interface of health care, science and society. Hosted by the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, it provides a space for critical reflection on medicine as a science and as a practice, past and present, focusing on the social, cultural, historical and ethical dimensions of medicine, health and illness.

   Established at the University of Zurich Medical School in 2014, the CMH encourages interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration through regular events, workshops and working groups on a local, national and international scale – beyond the boundaries of disciplines and professions. It aims to establish and develop Medical Humanities as an innovative field of inquiry and practice and to enrich the culture of care through networking opportunities for medicine and the humanities, social sciences and arts. The CMH collaborates with the School of Humanities and Social Science of the University of St. Gallen as well as the Zurich University of the Arts.

Medical Humanities provide insight into the human condition of health and wellbeing through a range of different lenses that include literature and the arts as well as a historical perspective on medical practice.

By developing and nurturing skills of observation, analysis, empathy and self-reflection, Medical Humanities can support and empower medical students as well as experienced clinicians and researchers to continuously improve the health care they provide. The arts provide another, critical means of reflecting on health and healthcare.

Engaging and connecting health care professionals, patients and citizens in a joint discourse Medical Humanities also reflects priorities and broader societal implications of medicine and health care and is a dynamically developing field of medical research, education and public engagement. The Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences collaborates with the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences to foster the growth of Medical Humanities in Switzerland.

Center for Medical Humanities
Winterthurerstrasse 30
8006 Zurich

Tel. +41 44 634 40 14
For more information, please contact us.