Chicago Society for the History of Medicine and the Humanities

 

Leonardo Da Vinci

The Chicago Society for the History of Medicine and the Humanities is a constituent member of the Society of the American Association for the History of Medicine and was founded in 1909 to foster an interest in the history of medicine. In 2005 it became part of the Hektoen Institute and was renamed to emphasize a broadening of interest to other aspects of the humanities. At its inception the Society had some 200 members and included many illustrious personalities and pioneers of American medicine.

The Society remains active, sponsoring meetings and lectures on a variety of interesting subjects, some related to the history of medicine in Chicago and others exploring the interface between medicine and the humanities. Each lecture is preceded by a reception, allowing the members to exchange ideas and engage in lively discussion. The final meeting of each year is dedicated to the memory of Doctor Morris Fishbein, the Society’s past president and an influential physician and editor of modern American Medicine. The Fishbein lectures have been made possible by the generous support of the family of the late Barbara Fishbein Friedell.

Upcoming Programs

RSVP for all events: Lila Haile at lila.haile@hektoen.org or 312-768-6028

County: Life, Death, and Politics in Chicago's Public Hospital

Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Time: Program: 4PM–5PM; Refreshments: 5PM–5:30PM

Location: Cook County Hospital, 627 S. Wood St., Chicago, 1st floor auditorium

Cost: Free

David A. Ansell, MD, MPH will be discussing his memoir County, which was reviewed in the New York Times. The novel details Ansell's 30-year fight to expose the Cook County practice of "dumping," bundling uninsured patients who turned up at private hospitals into an ambulance and sending them to a public facility regardless of the severity of their ilnesses. As an advocate of single-payer health insurance, Ansell concludes with an observation of the health care overhaul of 2010 as a large Band-Aid to a fundamentally flawed national system. More...

The memoir is available for $29.95 at the book signing following the lecture.

Cash and all major credit cards accepted.

 

AIDS "The Destroyer": Public Health Campaigns, Conversations, and Stories from Kenya

Co-presented with Hektoen Nurses and Humanities Group and the

Section of General Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago

Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Time: Refreshments: 5PM–5:30PM; Program: 5:30PM–6:30PM

Location: University of Chicago School of Medicine, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago

Cost: $20 suggested donation

This presentation will examine the public health campaigns, conversations, and stories of HIV and AIDS in Kenya. Dr. Patricia Kay Felkins will present information from her ethnographic research, her grassroots experience with AIDS organizations, and support groups for women living with AIDS. The goal of her research is to document the language, images, and perceptions related to the virus and how people create meaning in their conversations and stories. This knowledge teaches us how to communicate more effectively with young people about HIV and AIDS. More...

 

Our current Executive Board consists of:

  • James L. Franklin, MD, President of the Society, Professor Emeritus, Rush University, Medical Center.
  • George Dunea, MD, President & CEO of the Hektoen Institute.
  • Asad A. Bakir, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.
  • Peter Hart, MD, Dept. of Medicine, Stroger Hospital of Cook County.
  • Georgia Lubben, MD, Family Medicine, Jackson Park Hospital.
  • Suja Mathew, MD, Program Director, Internal Medicine Training Programs, Stroger Hospital of Cook County.
  • Keith Roper, MD, Attending Surgeon, Jackson Park Hospital.
  • Sandy Sufian, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.
  • Rachel Baker, Director of Educational Programs, Hektoen Institute.

For information please contact Lila Haile at lila.haile@hektoen.org or 312-768-6028