This yearlong celebration of the humanities aims to promote humanistic thinking and build awareness of the role of the humanities in health care, and offer experiences that will provide insights, alter perspectives, and ultimately facilitate the personal growth of students, faculty, and staff.

This program will involve a series of events highlighting the overarching theme of “Being Human” and emphasizing the importance of humanistic thinking in healthcare. Events include:

1. A Lecture and Workshop Series: beginning in the fall, a lecture series will be offered for students, faculty and staff from the Schools of the Health Sciences by faculty from various humanities departments at the University of Pittsburgh, with an emphasis on the performing and visual arts. Topics include communicating empathy (Theater Arts), developing cultural competence (English and Theater Arts), and enhancing visual skills through art and sculpture (Art History and Architecture). Talks, workshops, art viewing and a theater performance will be included.

2. A Salk community book discussion titled “One Book, One Salk”: for this event, a literary piece will be selected in collaboration with the English Department. A discussion series centered around the book will take place during the spring term and will include workshops and discussion groups led predominantly by members of the English Department. We will explore ways in which written text can convey a story, present issues relevant to health care, and influence and inspire people. All students, faculty and staff from the School of Dental Medicine (SDM) and the School of Pharmacy (SOP) will be invited to participate in these events. We anticipate that “One Book, One Salk” will become a sustained and eagerly anticipated yearly event.

3. An Art and Writing Expo: in the late spring of 2016, students, faculty and staff from the SDM and SOP will be invited to submit their own original artwork, poetry, or short composition, based on the theme of “Being Human." This activity is intended to encourage self-reflection and exploration of the roles and perspectives of patients and healthcare providers. Entries will be displayed at a communal event open to all at the University. All pieces will be scanned and collated into an electronic book. We anticipate that the Art and Writing Expo and the associated e-book will become a sustained and cherished yearly event.

This event is also sponsored by the School of Dental Medicine.

Images from the event: