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Letters Fall 2003 THE SEMIANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ROBERT PENN WARREN CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIES VOL. 12, NO. 1 • FALL 2003 • VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY Medicine, Health, and Society An Interview with Matthew Ramsey and Larry Churchill he 2003/2004 Fellows Pro- Letters, Professors Ramsey and medical center—a group that in- bridging the traditional discipli- gram at the Warren Cen- Churchill discussed the program, cludes both clinicians and re- nary divides that have long been Tter, “Medicine, Health, its integral role in supporting the searchers. The larger project of the associated with this field. and Society” investigates one of initiatives of the new Center for group has been the construction LETTERS: Could you describe the most dynamic and rapidly Medicine, Health, and Society at of a major inter-school, interdisci- in greater detail the new curricular growing areas of interdisciplinary Vanderbilt, and new directions plinary center for Medicine, programs associated with the research and teaching. This field, for the expanding field of MHS Health, and Society at Vanderbilt. MHS initiative? which we may refer to as MHS studies. The new MHS Center, based in RAMSEY: In the Medical studies, has its roots in a tradition LETTERS: This Fellows pro- the College of Arts and Science, School, the old biomedical re- of programs and courses in the gram emerged from a faculty which I direct, is the first step to- search requirement for first- and medical humanities that have long workshop/planning group in ward this long-term objective. We second-year students has been re- served to enrich and broaden the Medicine, Health, and Society now need mechanisms to facilitate placed by a menu of options, curriculum of future medical prac- known as the Emphasis titioners by connecting medicine Program. One of the to such fields as literature, the arts, options is the medical history, philosophy, religion, law, humanities; we’ll be and social policy. But this new ap- working through the proach to the study of health and MHS center to arrange health care moves beyond the fo- for people from outside cus on clinician-centered subject the medical school, matter and patient-physician in- mostly from the College teractions, to look more broadly at of Arts and Science, to how various societies—including mentor these students. our own—have understood, expe- It’s a very exciting op- rienced, and responded to disease. portunity, but we need MHS studies recognizes that to give a lot of careful health-related beliefs and practices thought to how it’s go- are deeply embedded in particular ing to work—not just societies and cultures, and that the mechanics, but also disease can be studied as a social the themes, the em- and cultural phenomenon. This phases, and the sorts of year’s Fellows program reflects this Larry Churchill and Matthew Ramsey issues we want to ad- interdisciplinary approach in the dress. It’s certainly something that diverse academic interests of its studies that has been meeting for the interactions of our diverse we’ll talk about here in the Fellows participants, who include faculty the last two years at the Warren membership to develop more spe- group. In the College of Arts and from such disciplines as medical Center. Could you say more about cific goals. The Fellows program ethics, history, human and organi- this group, the background of the at the Warren Center is one key Inside zational development, theology, members, and the kinds of inter- part in that process. This year’s English, and sociology. In addi- sections you see developing be- program involves one of the most 2003/2004 Fellows . .6 tion, the program will include one tween this more private venue for diverse groups of Fellows that the 2004/2005 Fellowships . .6 clinician from the Division of Sur- discussion and the public interest? Warren Center has ever spon- Stephen J. Pyne to Deliver gical Oncology. The program’s co- RAMSEY: The group at this sored. The Fellows group will 2003 Howard Lecture . .7 directors are Matthew Ramsey, point has more than one hundred work in tandem with the larger 2004 Summer Graduate associate professor of history, and faculty members from all nine MHS center to develop an under- Student Fellows Program . .8 Larry R. Churchill, Ann Geddes schools of the University, includ- graduate program in Medicine, 2002/2003 Fellows Conference . .8 Stahlman Professor of Medical ing the Blair School of Music. Health, and Society studies, and Race and Wealth Disparity . .8 Ethics. In a recent interview with About half of them are from the we’re going to build from there, Letters • Fall 2003 • 1 Letters • Fall 2003 • 2 CHURCHILL: There is a rule of rescue in this country that says no one should die on the street, whether they have health care or not. Science, we are close to having ap- in MHS studies, with support cine, which was grounded in sci- visions for primary care such as proval for an undergraduate minor from the Warren Center; this ence, and other kinds of medi- the ability to see a physician to get in MHS studies, and the possibil- could become the model for fu- cine, which sometimes claimed to your diabetes or hypertension un- ity of a contract major, in which ture conferences organized by the be grounded in science but clearly der control is the kind of thing students will design a program and MHS center. had a different cognitive basis. I that’s bought and sold on the mar- submit it for approval to the Com- LETTERS: In your proposal, you am currently completing a large ket. These are really interesting mittee on Individual Programs. If identify three areas of investigation book on the development of pro- questions to me because they illus- the minor is approved early in the that current scholarship tends to fessional monopoly in French trate an aligning of values in rela- fall semester, we will offer a foun- engage: medical pluralism, the medicine. I am interested in the tion to how the health care system dation course in MHS in the provision of health care, and the ways in which some of the people works. Obviously, such questions spring semester that will involve who practiced what we involve issues of financing and dis- guest lecturers from across the would now call non-offi- tribution, but they also involve the campus. One product of this year’s cial medicine were ex- cultural issue of what Americans Fellows program may be designs cluded from the medical think about health care, and what for courses that each of us might field, even though many dimensions of it they think are im- individually want to teach for patients continued to con- portant. These are critical ques- MHS studies. sult them. I am also cur- tions in terms of understanding Churchill: The Emphasis Pro- rently engaged in some the system that we now have. In gram that Matt just mentioned is other projects that connect asking ourselves why we have the an innovative program in the Med- less to medical practice and system we do, we must realize that ical School that will begin in 2004, more to therapeutics. I just our sense of ethics as well as our and it is truly innovative in the gave a series of lectures in cultural values tend to give the sys- sense that it is designed to add an France that I expect will tem the shape that it has. One of independent scholarly emphasis to become a small book on the things that is always on my the curriculum. It will make Van- the therapeutic uses of the mind when I am thinking about derbilt unique in allowing students human body. One lecture Medicine, Health, and Society is to devote a year and a half of work covered the use of excre- the ways in which the health care in a particular subject of their mental remedies; a second system reflects our social and cul- choosing related to medicine and one concerned the thera- tural values. We have the particu- health care. There are eight differ- peutic use of human body lar system we do because of the ent areas; one of these is medical parts, sometimes called way we have organized and dis- humanities. We would expect “medical cannibalism”; tributed a lot of other social goods, Larry Churchill about a dozen or so students a year and the third was on the and it’s important to put all of this to select this field, and we will be impact of new diseases and tech- history and pre-history of blood into context. We’re fortunate to engaging faculty not just from the nologies. What are your current transfusion and organ transplants. have the diverse group that we medical school, but also across the research interests, and how do Churchill: Most of my back- have for this year’s Fellows pro- campus and in particular from Arts they inform the larger body of ground and training is in ethics gram, because diverse perspectives and Science, to be mentors for scholarship in these areas? and so most of what I do in the are crucial to understanding the these students over that eighteen Ramsey: Much of my work medical school concerns ethical full picture. And, actually, one of month period. That’s something over the last decade has focused questions and issues, particularly the geniuses of the whole effort in that we’re very excited about, espe- on what we might call medical those that have an impact on the Medicine, Health, and Society at cially since Medical School Dean pluralism—differences in medical provision of health care.
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