Launched in 2022, the Centre for Health and Medical Humanities (CHMH) brings together scholars who investigate the relationship of the arts and humanities to health, healthcare, medicine and medical education. Together we seek to create a space for transdisciplinary exchange to build shared knowledge, skills and capacity in the health and medical humanities.
Our members’ research contributes to debates relating to historical, philosophical, artistic and interdisciplinary understandings of health and medicine across different cultures, contexts and languages. Our scholarship aims to improve health and wellbeing, inform healthcare practice and training, and transform research through innovative and creative methods.
We work with a range of partners and communities who support us in our mission and activities.
We welcome applications for PhD research on topics related to health and medical humanities studies.
CHMH’s mission is:
- To forge a transdisciplinary research community within the Division of Arts and Humanities and across the University of Kent to stimulate ground-breaking research in the health and medical humanities
- To provide a regular platform for scholars, health professionals and non-academic speakers to share their work by hosting seminars, international conferences, workshops and outreach activity
- To build partnerships with research centres, networks, social and cultural institutions, non-profits and NGOs based in the UK, Europe and internationally to tackle important public health challenges
- To support participatory and community-led research in which lived experience is valued as a knowledge paradigm, and contribute to activist-oriented forms of scholarship
- To strengthen the links of health humanities to disability studies, overlooked areas such as dental and veterinary humanities, and ‘One Health’ approaches that recognize the interconnection between people, animals, plants and their shared environment.
- To develop training opportunities for graduate students and Early Career Researchers that focus on transdisciplinary and ethical forms of scholarship, pedagogical practice and professional development
- To generate, in collaboration with partners, training and wellbeing resources for health professionals and medical students through teaching provision, conferences and digital platforms to respond to different priorities
- To facilitate teaching and understanding of current conversations in the health and medical humanities through the Centre’s taught programmes as well as through its digital resources (such as its Conversations series) and public engagement.
Please direct any enquiries to chmh@kent.ac.uk in the first instance.