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Medical Humanities major available fall 2019

“We found this thing that nourished us, that energized us, that made a difference in our lives, that helped saved our lives in many ways, and we realized the potency of what we’re helping to deliver through UNO Medical Humanities.” ----Steve Langan, Medical Humanities Director,

  • published: 2019/08/26
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Medical Humanities, a popular minor at UNO, is now also available as an academic major, the first of its kind in the region. Having just launched in fall 2019, it already boasts around twenty majors working toward either a BS or BA degree.

“We need to put fresh eyes on healthcare in America and who better than our artists, our humanities scholars, and social scientists,” explains program director, Steve Langan.

An education in Medical Humanities prepares graduates for healthcare occupations as well as interaction with healthcare systems through its focus on the humanistic aspects of medicine that promote patient-centered care and resilient professionals.

Medical Humanities complements the health sciences, and encompasses the humanities, social sciences and the arts. Within this broad framework, issues studied include health disparities, medical ethics, art/music therapies and engagement, health communication, compassion fatigue/empathy to the provider-patient-caregiver relationship, spirituality and wellness, the interactions between health practices and conceptions of personhood, gender, and community, healing and medicine across cultures, and the nature of suffering and models of wellness.

The major will play a critical role in support of the mission of 2019 proposed Health Humanities Center, a partnership between UNO and UNMC.

A celebration for the promotion of the Kooser Health Humanities Center, was held August 7 at the Buffet Cancer Center - UNMC. The Health Humanities Center will be named in honor of Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate 2004-2006 and long-time supporter of UNMC.

The mission of the Kooser Center will be to provide support for both patients and health care professionals through the study of the connection between all of our experiences as human beings and our ability to treat illness in others and to heal ourselves.