IU School of Liberal Arts: News

News Category: Medical Humanities

Exhibit Showcases Health Careers for Liberal Arts Students

Health Careers for Liberal Arts Exhibit: April 5, 2012 in the second floor lobby of Cavanaugh Hall

The secret of a Liberal Arts degree is that it can be applied to many careers. Employers of all kinds, including those in health fields, need the strong communication and critical thinking skills that Liberal Arts students hone through their coursework.

To illustrate how Liberal Arts majors can translate these skills to health professions the Liberal Arts Career Development Office has created a special exhibit, “Exploring Skills & Passion: Liberal Arts and Health Careers,” which will open on April 5, 2012, and be on display through from April through August on the second floor of Cavanaugh Hall.

“The IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI has a lot of research and coursework related to healthcare, and we wanted to make this information available to students in a creative way,” says Sloane Thompson, Director of the Liberal Arts Career Development Office. “It’s been incredibly exciting to put together a visual exhibit that we hope will inform and inspire students at all levels to consider careers in health care.

The exhibit showcases opportunities in health fields for Liberal Arts majors with displays of career paths, academic options, and alumni experiences.

“The idea behind this exhibit is to show students that they have a multitude of options in the health field besides the traditional occupations such as nurse or doctor,” says Katie Erickson, a graduate student and career coach in the Liberal Arts Career Development Office.

Community outreach, public health program coordinators, occupational therapists, public health policy makers, and public relations are just a few career options for those with backgrounds in the Liberal Arts.

These and other options are presented for the exhibit in three main categories: public health, administration and management, and patient care and research. For each the exhibit provides occupations, majors, and complementary minors as well as examples of IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI alumni who have succeeded in the field.

“Exploring Skills & Passion: Liberal Arts and Heath Careers” previews on Tuesday, April 3 with “Choosing a Career: Assessing Your Skills and Passions”. The session will be held in CA 201, runs from 3-4 pm, and features remarks by representatives from each of the three exhibit categories.

On Thursday, April 5, the “Exhibit Opening: Kickoff Event and Reception” is open to students and alumni. From 3-4 pm in CA 201, students can learn from Liberal Arts alumni as they share their experiences and give advice about pursuing healthcare careers. A reception follows from 4-6 pm in the Cavanaugh Hall second floor lounge. School of Liberal Arts alumnus Byron Buhner, CEO of the Indiana Blood Bank, will make keynote remarks at 4:30 pm.

The exhibit was researched by students Erikson (Public Health) and Emily Baker (History; Japanese Studies), designed by Genevieve Wagener (Museum Studies), and the surrounding events planned by Hayley Powell (Event Management; German/Dance).

Throughout the exhibit and regularly during the academic year assistance is available for students who wish to match their skills and interests with healthcare, and other, careers through the Liberal Arts Career Development Office. Visit http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/careers/ to learn more about the services available to students.

Published on: April 03, 2012

Cavanaugh Hall Celebrates 40 Years of Impact - September 23rd

Liberal Arts 40th Anniversary Cavanaugh Hall will celebrate its 40^th anniversary with an open house and reunion on Friday, September 23, 2011, 4:30-6:30 pm. The event will feature a special six-story exhibit, "Cavanaugh Hall: 40 Years of Impact," exploring the building’s history, a reception, and comments from Dean William Blomquist at 6:00 pm.

Originally conceived to be 9-stories tall with windows all around, Cavanaugh, the Lecture Center (now Lecture Hall) and the Library (now Taylor Hall) were the first undergraduate buildings on what became the IUPUI campus. Named in honor of Robert E. Cavanaugh, director (1918-1921) of the Indiana University Extension Center in Indianapolis and dean (1920-1946) of its parent entity, the Indiana University Extension Division, the classroom/office building was dedicated on September 10, 1971.

Why was the building’s original design modified? The "Cavanaugh Hall: 40 Years of Impact" exhibit explores this question and includes sections on the people of Cavanaugh, classes, student life, and additional information about Cavanaugh’s physical structure. The exhibit was conceived by students in Museum Studies Professor Elizabeth Kryder-Reid’s spring 2011 "Museum Methods" course and produced by Museum Studies graduate student Genevieve Stotler Wagner with assistance from the University Archives staff, Liberal Arts Office of Development & External Affairs, and the 40^th Anniversary Planning Committee.

Today Cavanaugh primarily houses the School of Liberal Arts, but during its history it also housed the registrar and bursar’s offices, the IUPUI bookstore, the Sagamore student newspaper, Adaptive Educational Services, the Schools of Journalism and Social Work, Herron School of Art courses, and early iterations of the School of Science. As a core undergraduate classroom building, courses from areas as diverse as math, painting, religious studies, chemistry, museum studies, and American Sign Language interpreting have been taught in the building.

"When Cavanaugh opened, it was IUPUI’s first undergraduate classroom building," said William Blomquist, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts. "In many ways, the seed planted at 425 Agnes Street (now University Boulevard) is what grew into IUPUI. It was the nexus of a dream, where pioneering faculty, staff and students worked in concert to serve the higher education aspirations of their community. Cavanaugh was not just a building, it was a place of intellectual concourse and exploration, nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit of those who taught, served and learned here. We are excited to have this opportunity to celebrate 40 years of impact, for the School of Liberal Arts, the campus and the city."

Students, faculty and staff past and present, alumni, and campus and community friends are invited to celebrate together on September 23^rd, at an event launches a year-long celebration of the 40th anniversary of the creation of the School of Liberal Arts in 1972.

For more information on 40th anniversary events throughout the year, visit http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/40, to RSVP for the September 23^rd open house and reunion, email libarsvp@iupui.edu.

Published on: August 29, 2011

Liberal Arts Faculty/Staff Break Campus Campaign Record!

133 Liberal Arts faculty and staff members contributed to the 2011 Liberal Arts IMPACT IUPUI Faculty and Staff Campaign raising $55,702.19 for scholarships, research, departmental and school initiatives, and events! Across campus 856 faculty and staff donors have given $340,898 during the campaign that ran from February 28^thto May 31^st. Thanks to the generosity and commitment of the faculty and staff it was a record-setting year of support for the School of Liberal Arts. Liberal Arts faculty and staff giving also broke a campus record, collectively giving more than any unit in the campaign’s recorded history.

A record number of faculty and staff participated, with heated departmental competitions for highest overall participation and most improved rate of participation. A big round of applause for the Department of Sociology which won the prize for both the most improved and the highest overall participation rate. Anthropology came in second for overall participation and Communication Studies took second place for the most improved department. All three departments and 15 faculty and staff members won assorted gift certificates and prizes generously donated by local Indianapolis businesses.

"The faculty and staff campaign has always been special in the School of Liberal Arts because it provides the opportunity for people who know the School best to direct their gifts to the particular programs, awards, scholarships or other causes they really care about and support," said William Blomquist, Dean of Liberal Arts. "Many of the scholarships and other funds are in honor of past faculty or staff members or students to whom people have personal connections. Also, I think that many Liberal Arts faculty and staff feel that by giving within the School, they really see the impact their gifts make."

"Special thanks go to our campaign committee members who generated enthusiasm around our Mardi Gras themed campaign," said Lauren Hasey, Campaign Coordinator.

Committee members were: Gina Gibau, Moe Kaviani, Ron Sandwina, Aye-Nu Dukerson, Joyce Haibe, Danna Kostroun, Nadia Alvarado, Michelle Ruben, Louise Watkins, Dan Nuetzel, Gail Plater and Gen Shaker.

Hasey continued, "Another big thank you to all of our chili chefs, volunteers and attendees who contributed to the success of our kick-off event featuring our first ever chili cook-off. Finally, a heartfelt thank you to the Liberal Arts faculty and staff members whose continued commitment and generosity has created the vibrant Liberal Arts community we enjoy today."

Published on: June 16, 2011

In the News - May 2011

Experts from Liberal Arts departments and centers are regularly cited in the local, national, and international media. A selection from online sources provides a sampling of the types of issues and kinds of research Liberal Arts faculty are called upon to talk about in the public sphere. Also included is general Liberal Arts news covered by the media.

The Civil War and Nursing
Nurse.com April 29, 2011
The work of Civil War nurses proved that contrary to Victorian notions of the time, women could provide excellent care for men they weren’t related to without damaging delicate sensibilities or reputations, say nursing and Civil War historians. "The Civil War launched the profession of nursing in the United States," says Jane E. Schultz, PhD, professor of English, American studies, women’s studies and medical humanities in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI and the author of "Women at the Front: Hospital Workers in Civil War America" and "This Birth Place of Souls: The Civil War Nursing Diary of Harriet Eaton."
[Article]

Chi Sherman on thinking, reading and talking
Indiana Humanities May 2, 2011
Chi Sherman, a poet and essayist who graduated with her B.A. in English from IUPUI in 2002, is featured as an Indiana Humanities Friend in the "How do you identify with the humanities" section of Indiana Humanities e-newsletter.
[Article]

Indiana Based Muslim Groups: Killing Justice for 9/11 Victims
TheIndyChannel.com May 3, 2011
Islamic leaders in Indiana said Monday they’re thankful Osama bin Laden has been killed, providing some closure to the victims of 9/11 and the country as a whole. Edward Curtis, a professor of religious studies in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, said he believes most Muslims welcome the death of bin Laden."They see (him) as their enemy. Osama bin Laden killed a lot more Muslims than non-Muslims," he said. "They’ll welcome that. This will not be perceived as an anti-Muslim activity."
Article]

Dan Carpenter: Serving, one cup at a time
Indystar.com May 3, 2011
Like Greg Mortenson, or at least the Mortenson of best-seller books, Scott Pegg is revered in the Third World area where he has worked to make education a common good. "I’m much more forgiving of dates being slightly wrong, or literary license, than with taking a charity’s money to fly you around to speaking tours," says the man whose day job is teaching political science IUPUI. Pegg hastened to add he wasn’t passing judgment on Mortenson, whose messianic aura has been clouded by accusations against the veracity of his blockbuster book "Three Cups of Tea" and against the altruism of the foundation that grew out of it—and grew and grew.
[Article]

Indianapolis pundit predicts Governor Daniels ‘will run’ for president
Fox 59 WXIN May 3, 2011
Governor Mitch Daniels has publicly stated he is close to making his decision whether he’ll run for president. At least one local political pundit predicts the decision will be yes. Brian Vargus, IUPUI political science professor, pointed out that Daniels has three speeches planned in the next several days. "I do believe this upcoming trip on the East Coast, which is going on next week, indicates he’s going to run. I just feel people don’t realize how close he is to saying he will."
[Article]

Melina Kennedy to take on Greg Ballard this fall for Indy mayor
Indystar.com May. 4, 2011
Melina Kennedy notched an easy win in Tuesday’s low-turnout Democratic primary for Indianapolis mayor, but the path to victory in November won’t be so simple. She has disputed Ballard’s handling of public safety, economic development and unemployment. Bill Blomquist, a political science professor and dean of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, points out: "It’s not clear that (those issues) break clearly in one direction or the other right now."
[Article]

After 9/11 memorial, Obama’s next stop is Indiana
Indystar.com May 6, 2011
Obama will focus on the economy during his trip to Indy. President Barack Obama is enjoying a burst of public approval after the killing of Osama bin Laden, but his visit to Indianapolis illustrates that the political maxim coined in 1992 remains true: "It’s the economy, stupid." The timing is politically fortuitous for Obama, said Bill Blomquist, dean of liberal arts and a political science professor IUPUI. "It’s time to try to connect him, while he’s got a little bit of a lift, back to the issue on which he needs a little bit of a lift."
[Article]

Being Mormon: Does it matter in public eye?
The Seattle Times May 7, 2011
Two names that keep coming up as serious candidates for the U.S. presidency are former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. Both happen to be Mormon. Jan Shipps, professor emeritus of history and religious studies at IUPUI, describes the history of Mormonism in America. She states, "In the 19th century, Mormons were persecuted for their beliefs and were regarded by most Americans as a fringe group, especially for their practice of polygamy. But beginning about 1890, when the church banned polygamy, attitudes toward Mormons began to soften. During the Great Depression, many Americans saw Mormons as self-sufficient, and in the 1960s, many liked their clean-cut image."
[Article]

American Indians Irate over Bin Laden Code Name "Geronimo"
Religious Dispatches May 11, 2011
Johnny P. Flynn, a Potawatomi Indian and faculty member in the Department of Religious Studies at IUPUI, writes a fascinating piece which states that the use of "Geronimo" as the military code name for the architect of the 9/11 attack has ignited a firestorm of criticism from American Indians across the country. Flynn goes on to describe Geronimo as a renowned Chiricahua Apache leader who personally fought to defend his people, territory, and way of life. Unlike the coward Osama bin Laden, Geronimo faced his enemy in numerous battles and engagements. He is perhaps one of the greatest symbols of Native American resistance in the history of the United States, says Flynn in this piece.
[Article]

EC native from Highland named state’s next poet laureate
Post-Tribune May 13, 2011
Indiana’s next poet laureate plans to write a literary blog on Hoosier writers, create a downloadable poetry-teaching toolkit for the Indiana Humanities Council and sponsor events at schools and libraries across the state. IUPUI Professor Karen Kovacik, who was born in East Chicago and grew up in Highland, will serve a two-year-term beginning next January. Kovacik is a professor of English, director of the creative writing program and adjunct professor of women’s studies at IUPUI. She was selected for the position recently by the Indiana Arts Commission. "I want to break down barriers and get diverse groups of poets talking together," Kovacik said in a press release from the Indiana Arts Commission.
[Article]

Experts Skeptical of Predicted Gas Price Drop
WRTV Indianapolis May 13, 2011
Analysts predicted the cost at the pump would continue to fall thismonth, but prices are on the rise again across Indiana, and helping drive inflation nationwide. Subir Chakrabarti, an economics professor at IUPUI, said global demand, especially from China, India and tsunami-damaged Japan, is fueling higher prices. "When there’s enough volatility in the market, sellers will take advantage and will keep prices at levels which are relatively high," he said.
[Article]

Geronimo: Bin Laden’s problematic code name
The Baltimore Sun May 16, 2011
By giving Osama bin Laden the code name of the great American Indian chief Geronimo, the Pentagon has unnecessarily raised the ire of Native Americans. Johnny P. Flynn, a Potawatomi Indian who is in the religious Studies Department of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI describes Geronimo as "the Apache spiritual leader" whose real name was Goyalthlay, renamed by Mexicans he fought who had killed his mother, wife and three children.
[Article]

‘Soul of Yoga’ at Stake in Texas Regulation Push
Religious Dispatches May 18, 2011
Andrea R. Jain, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at IUPUI, writes a captivating piece about a Texas bill which recently passed both the Senate and the House committee on Economic & Small Business Development. The bill would exclude yoga from the definition of "post-secondary education," thus exempting yoga teacher training programs from career school licensing requirements.
[Article]

Hoosiers Don’t Buy Doomsday Prediction
WRTV Indianapolis May 20, 2011
Intensely skeptical: Those are probably the best words to describe Hoosiers’ reaction to a religious leader’s proclamation that the end of the world will begin Saturday. Peter Thuesen, a professor of religious studies at IUPUI, said there is a general skepticism that exists, in part, because so many apocalyptic predictions have been wrong. "American history is littered with failed predictions of the end of the world, and this seems to be simply the latest of a long string of predictions," he said.
[Article]

Daniels, Hoosiers say family comes before ambition
Chicago Tribune May 22, 2011
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has become the latest big-name Hoosier to say family concerns trump his political ambitions citing concern for his wife, Cheri, and their four daughters as the reason he won’t join the race for the Republican nomination for president in 2012. The Daniels’ got an early taste of the national scrutiny they would feel at a Republican Party fundraiser about two weeks previous. "Obviously Mitch does not want to revisit [the rough patch in his family history], he was very careful in what he’s said, that it was a good love story, and it may be that many people do not want to talk about those things," said Brian Vargus, professor of political science at IUPUI.
[Article]

Ind. GOP chair: Daniels to help shape 2012 debate
Chicago Tribune May 23, 2011
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels will continue to influence the national debate surrounding the 2012 presidential campaign even though he isn’t a candidate, the leader of Indiana’s Republican Party said Monday. Brian Vargus, a professor of political science IUPUI, expects Daniels to eventually endorse a Republican candidate and do some campaigning. He said he could end up with a cabinet position under a Republican president if he doesn’t want to run for vice president.
[Article]

Philanthropy professor Payton dies at 84
The Journal Gazette May 25, 2011
Robert L. Payton, the country’s first professor of philanthropic studies and former director of Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy in the School of Liberal Arts, has died. He was 84. He remained a professor emeritus of philanthropic studies and senior research fellow at the center, and helped establish a philanthropic studies library collection called "the premier collection in the world in this field." "Bob Payton was a brilliant, humble giant in the philanthropic sector whose impact on philanthropy is immeasurable and will be indelible," said Patrick M. Rooney, the center’s executive director.
[Article]

Senior uses smarts, charisma to solve problems
Indystar.com May 28, 2011
Iman Cooper was going to have to take a lead role in restarting the tutoring program for young readers at Indianapolis Public School 43. The International School senior had a good idea of how much work and which skills would be required. Two summers ago, her history teacher took her and other students to a Model European Union event intended for college students at IUPUI, organized by John McCormick, Professor of Political Science. It never dawned on the older students that Cooper was in high school.
[Article]

More Indiana chambers of commerce seeking bigger voice in local politics
The Republic May 30, 2011
Officials say more chambers are shifting away from just advocating positions and are beginning to issue endorsements in mayoral races. However, IUPUI political science professor Brian Vargus says there is no data that shows such endorsements make a big difference.
[Article]

Published on: June 06, 2011

IUPUI/Peking University Medical History Project Gets $240,000 Luce Foundation Grant

/_Assets/uploads/images/Cowboys_then_1_web.jpg The Henry Luce Foundation recently awarded a three-year $240,000 grant to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), collaborating with Peking University Health Science Center (PUHSC) to study the history of Western medicine in China.

The project "Western Medicine in China: 1800-1950" will research an important area of medical and Chinese history; organize and improve access to resources documenting that history; and deepen the understanding in both the United States and China of the history of what have become many of China’s leading hospitals and medical schools, according to history Professor William Schneider, Ph.D.

"How western medicine is introduced into non-western counties is a subject of great interest today, albeit under a different name - global health," Schneider said. "Organizations such as the WHO and the Gates foundation stand at the end of a long line of medical aid and training from rich to poor areas of the world. The Chinese case, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, is one of the most important historical examples. This was a story not of Western impact and Chinese response, but of complex interactions, hybrid institutions and applications."

In the early nineteenth century, European and American missionaries began introducing Western medicine in China as an aid to their religious goals. At first the reception was insignificant, but with revolutionary changes to the content and techniques of Western medicine later in the century, that began to change. By the early twentieth century Chinese elites and the state began to embrace Western medicine as a solution to perceived individual and government weakness in the face of Western imperialism. The 1910s to 1940s saw a massive increase in philanthropic investment in medicine in China whose influence on post-1949 medical personnel and institutions can still be felt.

The "Western Medicine in China" project has two main activities. The first is to hold two scholarly conferences, one scheduled for Indianapolis in June 2012 and the other in Beijing, China, in the summer of 2013. These events will identify and bring together 15 to 20 North American and Chinese scholars who will present their latest research on western medicine in China and discuss promising areas for future research.

The second activity will be to identify historical research materials housed at over a dozen archives around the world with the intent of making the resources more readily available to interested scholars and students. Finding guides and digitized copies of selected primary resources, documents and publications will also be made available online. In August 2011, a post-doctoral fellow will arrive at IUPUI to begin work on the project.

Among the Chinese and North American archives collaborating in the project are Shanghai Municipal Archives; Sun Yat-sen University Medical School; Suzhou General Hospital; The Burke Theological Library, Columbia University; Harvard University; Presbyterian Historical Society; the Rockefeller Archive Center; and Yale University.

"This is the most novel contribution to the project: to systemically identify and make available these kinds of resources," Schneider says. "Especially important is that many of the resources are outside of China . . . and are therefore not accessible to the people with the greatest interest. Relevant records in China will also be identified and where necessary catalogued with finding aids."

Schneider and Zhang Daqing, M.D., Ph. D., of PUHSC, are spearheading the research project. Schneider is a professor of history and philanthropic studies and the director of Medical Humanities and Health Studies in the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. Zhang, also a history professor, directs both the Institute for Medical Humanities and the Center for History of Medicine at PUHSC, the medical school at Peking University.

"Western Medicine in China" is the outgrowth of an agreement signed in 2008 between the IUPUI and PUHSC medical humanities programs, and the IU School of Social Work on the IUPUI campus. It also dovetails with the work of the Center on Philanthropy at IUPUI, Schneider said. Other related and ongoing projects include the development of medical social work in China and teaching medical English to students in Chinese health profession schools.

Additional funding for the project comes from the IU New Frontiers in the Art and Humanities program, the IUPUI Vice Chancellor for Research, and the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

The entire project is "a great example of how IUPUI can mobilize resources beyond the campus, both in this country and internationally to do scholarly research," Schneider said.

Published on: May 23, 2011

Humanitarian Assistance Speaker Series Begins February 14th

News Categories: International | Lectures and Seminars | Medical Humanities | Opportunities

In the aftermath of crises, international aid organizations, volunteers, religious institutions, nations and their citizens band together to help in the recovery. From the earthquake and its aftermath in Haiti to the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, and from the devastation following armed conflict in countries around the globe to the hunger that faces many on a daily basis, humanitarian assistance comes numerous forms including medical assistance, food, supplies, clean-up, and support for the displaced.

Beginning February 14^th, the Medical Humanities and Health Studies Program in the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI will present a series of discussions about international humanitarian assistance in the world today. All talks in Cavanaugh Hall Room 235 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The first speaker is Dave Miner, national board chairman of Bread for the World. On February 21^st, the series features Matthew Turissini, is a 3rd-year Medical Student at Indiana University School of Medicine and an active member of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, a student group working to improve global access to public health goods.

This speaker series, co-sponsored by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, features those who have been on the front lines, working to improve the conditions for people all over the world. The series is open to the public and presented as a part of the H425/H509: History of Humanitarian Assistance course. All are welcome but seating is limited.

Feb 14, 2011 - Speaker: Dave Miner is national board chairman of Bread for the World, "a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad."

Feb 21, 2011 - Speaker: Matthew Turissini, is a 3rd-year Medical Student at Indiana University School of Medicine. He has been active in the local chapter of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, a group of university students who believe that our universities have an opportunity and a responsibility to improve global access to public health goods.

Mar 7, 201 - Speaker: Bill Rutherford, M.D. is the Medical Director of the Emergency Department at the Indiana University Medical Center. His previous work includes service as a navy corpsman in the Vietnam War and Medical Director of Lifeline at Methodist Hospital. He has been working in Haiti for the past 20 years, and spent two weeks there immediately after the earthquake. For more on that experience, see his blog, IU Docs in Haiti and Lifeline Christian Mission.

Apr 4, 2011 - Speaker: Carleen F. Miller, Executive Director, Exodus Refugee Immigration Inc. (Indianapolis), part of a network of affiliates that work with Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program (CWS/IRP) and Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) to assist, "refugees worldwide, victims of persecution, injustice and war to establish self-sufficient lives in freedom and sanctuary for themselves and their families in Indiana"

Apr 11, 2011 - Speaker: Javier Sevilla-Martir, M.D., is a faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine at the IU School of Medicine. Originally from Honduras, he leads the International Medicine Honduras Project, a partnership between IU’s Department of Family Medicine, the Honduran government, and doctors in that country. The project gives medical students a chance to serve in a third world country and practice their medical skills at the same time. The may be contacted at: jsevilla@iupui.edu

Apr 25, 2011 - Speaker: Mercy Obeime, M.D., head of Community Hospital Clinic, Indianapolis, and director of the Mercy Foundation which provides medical assistance to the central region of Nigeria, her country of birth.

For questions, contact: medhum@iupui.edu or call 274-4740

Published on: February 14, 2011

Schultz Edits Journals of Civil War Nurse; One of Only Five “True Diaries” by Female Relief Workers

News Categories: Books by Faculty | English | History | Medical Humanities | Women's Studies

Jane E. Schultz, Professor of English, first came across the journals of Harriet Eaton, a traveling Civil War nurse, in 1991 while researching her book, Women at the Front (University of North Carolina Press, 2004). "There are so few true diaries kept by female relief workers during the Civil War that I was certain there would be an audience for [the journals]," she says.

In the recently released This Birth Place of Souls: The Civil War Nursing Diary of Harriet Eaton (Oxford University Press), Schultz assembled and edited Eaton’s journals alongside a collection of transcribed letters and newspaper articles. A reference dictionary containing biographical information on the 500+ people mentioned in the diary and an extensive introduction by Schultz completes the text.

Following the 1862 Battle of Antietam, Eaton began a quest to serve the Union on behalf of Portland, Maine’s Free Street Baptist Church and its Maine Camp Hospital Association. During her tours of duty to treat wounded and sick soldiers, she navigated the daily politics of war and found her Christian beliefs were often out of place in a landscape where, she observed, religious practices were often irrelevant.

Schultz says Eaton’s journals are among only five "true diaries written by female relief workers" during the Civil War that are available today. Eaton’s writings give readers a look at Civil War medicine, an area Schultz says is often overlooked. The diaries dispel the myth of nurse as ministering angel and how the Baptist church aligned itself with patriotic politics by encouraging others to help the soldiers.

To read an interview with Jane Schultz, please click here.

[Oxford University Press]

—Josh Flynn, BA English 2007

Published on: January 19, 2011

Historian Explores Western Medicine’s Influence in China, Collaborates with Peking University

News Categories: History | International | Medical Humanities | Philanthropic Studies | Research

/_Assets/uploads/images/iupui_black.gif American missionary Peter Parker helped establish the first Chinese hospital in 1835. By 1911, thanks to the West and missionaries, China had 245 hospitals and 35 medical schools.

Western medicine was heavily influential to and widely accepted by the Chinese. Study of why the Chinese were drawn to western practices, however, has been uneven. Revolutions, war, and invasions have prevented serious research and access to important historical records.

IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI History Professor William Schneider hopes to change that with a new project funded by a $30,000 planning grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. "The History of Western Medicine in China, 1800-1950" is a collaboration between the IUPUI Medical Humanities Program/Center on Philanthropy and the Center for the History of Medicine at Peking University. The work will focus on hospitals, medical schools, and other institutions supported by Western philanthropy and missionary efforts.

The grant will help complete two projects. First, two conferences (one held in the United States and the other in China) will bring together top scholars to present their research. An edited volume of papers presented during the conferences will be produced in both English and Chinese.

The grant also funds a second endeavor, the identification of major archival holdings and historical documents about Western medicine in China. Scholars will be directed to the documents via a web guide and archives will be accessible through digitization of selected materials.

Schneider, holder of the Baker-Ort Chair in International Healthcare Philanthropy and Director of the Medical Humanities Program, says, "These will be materials on the major Western medical schools, nursing schools and hospitals started in China during this period; and the other is digitization of some hard to find periodicals published mostly in the first part of the twentieth century."

"Medicine was a very important field for Westerners working in China, especially the role of missionaries and philanthropies, and educational institutions in the West," he reports. "The archives and records in the West are well known and documented, but not those in China. Also, the sources in the West are not very accessible to the Chinese. Hence a major goal of our work is to increase access to Chinese scholars to sources in the West, as well as help them identify resources in China."

"This project the first in the Indiana University - Peking University collaboration to receive outside funding," says Schneider. "It shows the international resources at IUPUI in the study of philanthropy as well as religious studies and medical humanities."

The School of Liberal Arts is the home of the social sciences and humanities at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the third largest school in the IU system.

Published on: July 21, 2010

New Frontiers grants awarded to 3 Liberal Arts Faculty

News Categories: English | Grants | History | Medical Humanities | Research

Three Liberal Arts faculty members are among the nearly three dozen faculty from various Indiana University campuses who have received New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities grants for 2010.

New Frontiers Grants

Theresa Bourus, English, "Editing Shakespeare for the 21st Century"
Jane Schultz, English, "Blood, Lead, and Ink: A Concise History of Civil War Medicine"

New Perspectives Grant

William Schneider, History and Medical Humanities, "The History of Western Medicine in China, 1800-1950"

In 2009-10, the New Frontiers in Arts and Humanities program has begun its second five-year cycle with funding from the IU President’s Office. In its first five years, the highly successful New Frontiers program was funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. The program is administered by the offices of IU’s Vice President for Research and Vice Provost for Research. In total, the program has now supported more than 400 projects by IU faculty.

"Since its inception, the New Frontiers program has fostered ground-breaking research, scholarship and creative activity in the arts and humanities. Indeed, it has ushered in a new era of creativity at IU," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. "I am extremely pleased that we were able to extend New Frontiers’ funding for another five years to support exceptional faculty and ensure that the arts and humanities at IU continue to grow in quality and stature."

Some changes have been made to the program, including the creation of a new grant category. Three out of the four types of New Frontiers program awards remain the same: New Frontiers (for innovative works of scholarship and creative activities), New Perspectives grants (for workshops and conferences), and Exploration Traveling Fellowships (for national and international travel). Exploration Traveling Fellowships are awarded six times per year in August, October, December, February, April, and June.

The program’s new component, New Directions, funds projects that are highly innovative and risk-taking. New Directions projects must involve collaboration between faculty members from the arts and humanities and faculty from the sciences, technology, or the professions.

Geoffrey Conrad, associate vice provost for research, oversees the entire New Frontiers program. He is excited about the New Directions component.

"The newly created New Directions grant is a far-reaching change. Our goal is to push the boundaries of the arts and humanities at IU by forging creative partnerships to everyone’s mutual benefit," Conrad said.

The New Frontiers program is specially designed to encourage awardees to use the funding as a foundation for seeking external grants to support their work.

"These grants allow faculty members to make the initial steps in scholarship and creativity that attract further funding from private and government sources," said Interim Vice President for Research Robert Schnabel. "The New Frontiers programs are a central component of the university’s efforts to build upon our strong tradition in the arts and humanities."

The 2010 deadline for New Frontiers grant proposals occurs in October. For more information about the program and the application process, see www.research.iu.edu/funding/newfron/index.html. To assist first-time applicants, especially junior faculty members, examples of highly ranked proposals from recent years have been posted at research.iu.edu/funding/newfron/samples/index.html.

Published on: February 18, 2010

Medical Humanities Program Expands International Opportunities with New Partnership

News Categories: International | Medical Humanities

/_Assets/uploads/images/iupui_black.gif The Medical Humanities Program in the School of Liberal Arts and the School of Social Work have begun a partnership with China’s Peking University Health Science Center to collaborate on a number of projects.

Both Peking University and IUPUI will benefit from the collaboration. The partnership will create opportunities for IUPUI students and faculty to work in China, as well as foster research initiatives both here and abroad. Meanwhile, Peking University seeks to integrate humanities into its medical training, and the joint effort will further that goal.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for us to work with medical humanities faculty at one of the top health science centers in China," said historian William Schneider, Director for the Medical Humanities-Health Studies Program and the Baker-Ort Chair in International Healthcare Philanthropy.

Schneider joined Margaret Adamek and Virginia Majewski from the School of Social Work to create the partnership. The three had traveled to the Peking University Health Sciences Center in October 2008 in part to discuss prospective medical social work curricula for PKU. On the same visit, Schneider presented an overview on the academic and research activities of the IUPUI Medical Humanities-Health Studies Program.

Opportunities the partnership will provide IUPUI students include:

An exchange program which will allow at least one master’s student in the Teaching English as a Second Language program to teach in Beijing
An exchange program which will allow a student to work in a Chinese hospital

Opportunities for IUPUI faculty include:

An exchange program to study or teach short courses for practitioners on such topics as literature and medicine, and the history of western medicine in China
Research with Peking University faculty to identify the "classics" and the "best" textbooks on social work in mental health and healthcare currently in use in the US. These books will be the start of a library of such works at Peking University

The Medical Humanities Program has received an International Development grant of $15,000 from the Office of International Affairs at IUPUI to support these projects. Exchanges are already planned for the fall semester, with the visits of Liping Guo, Associate Dean and Chair of English at PKU Health Sciences Center, to IUPUI, and Thom Upton, Chair of English to Peking University. Professor Guo will give a talk here October 19^th on medical humanities in China.

The Medical Humanities - Health Studies Program provides opportunities for students in liberal arts, pre-medicine, allied health sciences, pre-dentistry, nursing, and others interested in the state of health care in America to explore the concepts of health and illness from an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary perspective. Students can receive a minor in the program or create an individualized major that includes courses from this area.

For further information, please contact Judi Izuka Campbell at 317-274-4740 or email: jizukac@iupui.edu.

Photo: Guo Liping, Associate Dean and Chair of English at Peking University Health Sciences Center, and William H. Schneider presenting at the First National Conference on Medical Humanities at the PKU-HSC.

Published on: July 17, 2009

Peter Singer - Among TIME’s 100 Most Influential - at IUPUI March 10

News Categories: Lectures and Seminars | Medical Humanities | Opportunities | Philanthropic Studies

IUPUI will host Peter Singer, author of the new book The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty, who will give a public lecture at 7:30 p.m. on March 10, 2009, at the IUPUI Campus Center, Room 450.

Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world and the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, Singer will explore ethical arguments and case studies of charitable giving to assert that current responses to world poverty are insufficient and ethically indefensible.

The event is presented by the Baker-Ort Chair in International Healthcare Philanthropy at the Center on Philanthropy and the Medical Humanities and Health Studies Program in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, the IUPUI Student Activities Board, and the IUPUI 40th Anniversary Speaker’s Fund.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

[More about Peter Singer]

Published on: March 03, 2009

The Cancer Experience and Narrative - “Cancer Stories” Symposium Nov. 6-8

News Categories: Event Announcements | English | Medical Humanities

Cancer Stories is an international symposium organized around the premise that narratives about cancer influence the ways in which cancer is experienced. The three-day event, starting Thursday November 6at the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center at 5:30 p.m., aims to help doctors, patients, and advocates expand their awareness of the disease.

The event is sponsored by the Melvin and Bren Simon Center at the Indiana University School of Medicine, IUPUI’s Medical Humanities- Health Studies Program, and the Department of English in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

Three plenary speakers will discuss different aspects of the disease.

On Thursday David Cantor, of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will present "Choosing to Live: Cancer Education, Movies, and the Conversion Experience in Twentieth-Century America."
Arthur Frank, Professor of Sociology at the University of Calgary, presents "Tell Me Your Story: Narrative Illness in an Age of Authenticity and Appropriation," on Friday
Martha Stoddard-Holmes, Associate Professor of Literature and Writing Studies at California State University, will present a lecture called "Cancer Comix: Narrating Cancer through Sequential Art," on Saturday.

Also featured are smaller breakout sessions on bioethics and cancer, scar photography, breast cancer and the female identity, workshops in illness narrative, and a special performance by artist Gretchen Case about apoptosis, a form of cell death that often occurs in cancer.

Jane E. Shultz, Professor of English and Director of Literature at IUPUI, was principal investigator for the IU New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities grant that has made the symposium free to all participants. The New Frontiers in Arts and Humanities Program, funded by a five-year grant from the Lilly Endowment, is intended to help Indiana University faculty members in the arts and humanities to expand their scholarly or creative work into innovative disciplinary or interdisciplinary "frontiers."

Other support for the event came from the CompleteLife Program of the IUSCC, and The Heroes Foundation, the Estate of Robert and Phyllis Rose, and Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Gubka.

Attendance is free, but registration is preferred. [Information and registration]

—Maggie Moore, English major
Liberal Arts News Bureau

Published on: October 30, 2008

“Polio Eradication and Rotary International” - 11/3

News Categories: Event Announcements | International | Lectures and Seminars | Medical Humanities

"When Rotary started talking about polio, people listened." - Bill Gates

The Baker-Ort Chair in International Healthcare Philanthropy is pleased to announce that Dr. Robert S. Scott of Rotary Foundation and Rotary International will visit the IUPUI campus on Monday, November 3rd to give the 4th Annual Baker-Ort Lecture in International Healthcare Philanthropy, titled "Polio Eradication and Rotary International" at 3:30 PM in the University Library Lilly Auditorium.

Today, the world is 99% free from poliomyelitis, a paralyzing disease, thanks to the efforts of Rotary International. In 1985, Rotary, a volunteer service organization of 1.2 million men and women, made a commitment to immunize the world’s children against polio—with extraordinary results.

How has Rotary’s success been helped by partnerships with such organizations as the United Nations, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the World Health Organization? What lessons from these ongoing efforts can be applied to other areas of global health? On November 3rd, Dr. Scott will share a glimpse inside the workings of Rotary’s campaign against polio, to answer these and other questions about Rotary’s success, and the challenges that lie ahead.

This lecture, presented in conjunction with the IU School of Liberal Arts and the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, is free of charge and open to the public. Events will begin at 3:30 PM but for best seating, expect to arrive somewhat early.

For more information, see the flyer or visit:
http://medhumanities.iupui.edu/
http://www.rotary.org/endpolio

Published on: October 28, 2008

Medical Humanities Program Expands Avenues for Learning about Medical History

News Categories: History | Medical Humanities | Research

New funding from the IUPUI Research Venture Fund will allow both the Indianapolis and Bloomington campuses to expand their history of medicine programs.

William Schneider, Professor of History and Director of the IUPUI Medical Humanities Program, and Bloomington Professor Domenico Bertoloni-Meli will co-direct the new program with participation from the IUB and IUPUI Departments of History, IUB’s History and Philosophy of Science Program, and IUPUI’s IU School of Medicine. The funding will provide opportunities such as the sharing of guest speakers between campuses, research workshops, research proposal development, and the development of a master’s level curriculum.

While IUPUI and IUB open doors in Indiana to the history of medicine, a look into the fields’ past is also being provided on a national level with help from IUPUI’s Medical Humanities Program through an online archive of work from influencial Rockefeller Foundation officer Alan Gregg. Gregg influenced the medical education and research world during nearly 40 years of service to the Foundation. In 1919, he joined the Rockefeller foundation as an International health Board field officer and nearly four decades later retired as Vice President. Along the way, he aided in many medical developments and helped create the modern model for medical research funding.

The archive features material selected by Professor William H. Schneider and includes correspondence, journals, published articles and photographs. Schneider also wrote the background materials for the online exhibition. A partnership between the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy and the Rockefeller Archive Center, the National Library of Medicine led to the creation of the online "Profiles in Science" exhibition of Gregg’s life and work.

[View the Alan Gregg Profiles in Science site]

Published on: July 16, 2008