Medical humanities is a booming area of study emphasizing the cultural, historical, political, and narrative dimensions of healthcare delivery. Medical humanities programs prepare provides who are patient-centered, ethically grounded, skilled in communication, and committed to an equitable healthcare system.
Balancing technical expertise with broad liberal arts learning is a hallmark of a Miami University education and major goal of Miami’s Medical Humanities Minor. Medical humanities programs provide vital breadth to students interested in nursing, medicine, psychotherapy, dentistry, public health, social work, government and nonprofit organizations, and healthcare marketing, sales, insurance, research, and consulting. They cultivate leadership skills essential for civic engagement, emotional intelligence, and the management of illness in loved ones.
Medicine is both an art and a science. It requires more than technical expertise. Good doctors possess emotional intelligence, critical reading skills, ethical bearing, and understanding of the cultural dimensions of health. Medical humanities education builds capacities that cannot be replaced by technology: historical perspective, facility with illness narratives, understanding of how social norms shape medical care, and the ability to navigate challenging dilemmas about human life and well-being.
Medical schools increasingly seek applicants with this training. In fact, many medical schools now have their own medical humanities programs. In 2015, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) was revised to emphasize humanities and social science learning. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recently issued new premed guidelines emphasizing the need to balance scientific competencies with “cultural awareness,” “cultural humility,” “empathy,” “ethical responsibility,” “oral communication” and other faculties built in medical humanities programs.
Large studies of medical students have consistently shown that medical humanities programs enhance medical school preparation and performance in the following ways:
For a list of 20 large research studies, please scroll to the bottom of this page.
Coordinator: Professor Cynthia Klestinec
klestic@miamioh.edu | Harris Hall 134
Program Requirements (18 credit hours)
Chose one core course:
ENG 263 Literature and Medicine
HST 236 Medicine and Disease in Modern Society
PHL 205 Science and Culture
Choose five electives (15 hours) from at least two different departments:
Unused core courses, above, may be taken as electives.
APC 201 Introduction to Health and Risk Communication
APC 311 Science and Medicine in Public Communication
ATH 348 Introduction to Medical Anthropology
ATH 368 Key Questions in Psychological Anthropology
ATH 378 Doctors, Clinics, and Epidemics
CLS 310 Advanced Topics in Classics
CLS 336 Ancient Sexualities
DST 312 American Deaf Cultures
EGS 319 Medical Writing
ENG/DST 169 Disability and Literature
HST 237 Plagues, Pandemics, & Peoples
HST 385 Race, Science, and Disease in the Americas
HST 392 Sex and Gender in American Culture
PHL 265 Confronting Death
PHL 375 Medical Ethics
SOC 357 Medical Sociology
THE 224 Acting for Medical Simulation
Other special topics courses on appropriate topics may be approved by petition.
“Science is the foundation of an excellent medical education, but a well-rounded humanist is best suited to make the most of that education.”
—David Muller, Dean, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
“The humanities provide an outstanding foundation for understanding complexity and human variability, the conceptual basis for understanding medicine.”
—Charles M. Wiener, Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
“Our goal was to design a new MCAT that communicates the expectation that students who are preparing for medical school should read broadly in the humanities and social sciences.”
—Drs. Richard Schwartzstein et. al., in "Redesigning the MCAT"
"Health humanities programs give students the opportunity to really grapple with the importance of culture in illness and disability.”
—Dr. Therese Jones, Assoc. Prof. of Medicine, U Colorado School of Medicine
Medical humanities students understand better the broader background of their patients, the hospital, and the health system in which they operate.”
—William H. Schneider, Indiana University School of Medicine
"Technical excellence is not enough."
—Paul Kalinithi, Stanford neurosurgeon and bestselling author of When Breath Becomes Air
Humanities 51%
Math and Stats 45%
Specialized Health Sciences 41%
Biological Sciences 41%
Social Sciences 40%
Physical Sciences 39%
Average of All Majors (2022-23) 41%
“The Medical Humanities minor was exactly what I hoped [for]. I gained a significant understanding of the human side of medicine that I would not have experienced had I not declared the minor.”
“This minor is amazing. I have learned so much … both within my field and just generally within the realm of medicine as well.”
"Taking English and history courses related to medicine helps me be a more well-rounded and educated professional.”
“You are not just getting the same information over and over. You are able to explore different pathways of thought and fields of study, which is a really incredible experience.”
“I loved this minor! It really helped me apply concepts in other disciplines.”
*These comments are from anonymous student surveys of graduating Miami University medical humanities minors.
A study of more than 700 medical students, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, showed that humanities exposure was correlated with higher measures of empathy, wisdom, tolerance of ambiguity, resourcefulness, and emotional intelligence. It was also associated with lower burnout.
Another large review of 20 studies with 1,548 citations found that Medical students with social science and humanities premedical education perform on par with peers yet may possess different patterns of competencies, research, and career interests.
A third large study of medical students showed that humanities study increased empathy, resourcefulness, tolerance of ambiguity, and emotional intelligence—and reduced med school burnout. ( https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-017-4275-8 )
Many other studies have come to similar findings. The following are summarized in Case Western Medical School Report on Undergraduate Health Humanities programs in North America:
Anderson-Fye EP, Knopes J, Villareal H. “Piloting an undergraduate survey course in medical humanities and social medicine: lessons, tradeoffs, and institutional context.” J Humanit Rehab. Spring 2018:1-14.
Baker CJ, Shaw MH, Mooney CJ et al. “The medical humanities effect: A pilot study of pre-health professions students at the University of Rochester.” J Med Humanit. 2017; 38 (4): 445-457.
Bakhshi, H., Downing, J., Osborne, M. and Schneider, P. The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030. London: Pearson and Nesta; 2017.
Berry SL, Jones, T, Lamb, EG. “Health humanities: The future of pre-health education is here.” J Med Humanit. 2017; 38 (4): 353-360.
Berry SL, Klugman CM, Adams CA, et al. ”Health humanities: a baseline survey of baccalaureate and graduate programs in North America.” J Med Humanit 2023; 44:463–480.
Costa M, Kangasjarvi E, Charise A. “Beyond empathy: a qualitative exploration of arts and humanities in pre-professional (baccalaureate) health education.” Adv in Health Sci Educ. February 2020.
Howley L, Gaufberg E, King B. The Fundamental Role of the Arts and Humanities in Medical Education. Washington, DC: AAMC; 2020.
Stratton TD, Elam CL, McGrath MG. “A liberal arts education as preparation for medical school: how is it valued? How do graduates perform?” Acad Med. 2003; 78(10 suppl): S59-S61.
Hall JN, Woods N, Hanson MD. ”Is social sciences and humanities (SSH) premedical education marginalized in the medical school admission process? A review and contextualization of the literature.” Acad Med. 2014; 89 (7): 1075-1086.
Hirshfield, LE, Yudkowsky, R and Park, YS. “Pre medical majors in the humanities and social sciences: impact on communication skills and specialty choice.” Med Educ. 2019; 53: 408-416.
Howley L, Gaufberg E, King B. “The Fundamental Role of the Arts and Humanities in Medical Education.” Washington, DC: AAMC; 2020.
Mangione, Salvatore, et. al. "Medical Students’ Exposure to the Humanities Correlates with Positive Personal Qualities and Reduced Burnout: A Multi-Institutional U.S. Survey." Journal of General Internal Medicine: 29 January 2018.
Metzl JM, Petty J, Olowojoba OV. Using a structural competency framework to teach structural racism in pre-health education. Social Sci Med. 2018; 199: 189-201.
Petty J, Metzl JM, Keeys MR. Developing and evaluating an innovative structural competency curriculum for pre-health students. J Med Humanit. 2017; 38 (4): 459-471.
Pitcher C, Prasad A, Marchalik D, et al. A pilot study to understandthe role of medical humanities in medical education. Med Sci Educator 2022; 32:1269-1272.
Stratton TD, Elam CL, McGrath MG. A liberal arts education as preparation for medical school: how is it valued? How do graduates perform? Acad Med. 2003; 78(10 suppl): S59-S61.
Whitcomb M.E. The general professional education of the physician. Acad Med. 2006; 81 (12):1015-1016.
