Wednesday, May 1 - Monday, July 1, Helix Gallery, Hamilton Building. By Appointment.

Visit the Helix Gallery in the Dorrance H. Hamilton Building for Creativity in Motion, featuring the work of Jefferson student artists Connor Crutchfield, Sanskruti Dave, Amanda Rose Farese, Benjamin Fleet, Meryem Guler, Faith Higgins, Sarah Muche-Smith, Abhijeet Sambangi, Elizabeth Upton, and Madison Woods.

Gallery hours are by appointment only. Contact Megan Voeller, Director of Humanities, at megan.voeller@jefferson.edu to make an appointment.

Monday, July 8 - Friday, August 9, Helix Gallery, Hamilton Building, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays,  from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m..

Service dogs can provide a lifeline back to the world for veterans experiencing PTSD, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and other mental health struggles. Developed from a Scholarly Inquiry Humanities project at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, medical student Carly Onofrio-Kane interviewed and took photo portraits of nine veterans with their service dogs in analog and digital film, discussing their relationship in the context of healing. The narratives express the life-saving impact of service dogs on veterans’ lives, demonstrating an opportunity to explore their companionship as a supplement to traditional medical care. Given the high rates of PTSD and suicide in veterans, the project encourages a sense of urgency in increasing access to service dogs for veterans. 

Carly Onofrio-Kane is a third-year medical student at SKMC. As a former hairstylist, she loved hearing the stories of her clients, and is grateful to hear new stories in the patients she meets at Jefferson. She graduated from Temple University with a BA in Psychology in 2020. She started practicing amateur photography in her early teens and enjoys experimenting with various analog films. She is a recipient of the VA Health Professional Scholarship Program and will continue in her story collection and advocacy for service dogs and veteran healthcare.

Phoebe Warren (Curator) is a third-year medical student at SKMC. Before beginning her medical education, Phoebe received a BA in Art History from Princeton University in 2021. Her Senior Thesis research addressed the ways in which images shape our understanding of disease pandemics. She served as an Education Fellow for the Mütter Museum at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia in 2022. 

Saturday, August 3, 12-1PM, Helix Gallery. Refreshments provided.

Join us for an open house and reception with photographer Carly Onofrio-Kane and curator Phoebe Warren about the exhibit Canines as Healers: Veterans & Service Dogs.

Wednesday, August 21, Hamilton 505, 5-7PM.

Curated by Co-Directors and DEAFMed student liaisons Dominic Finan, SKMC '27, Benedicta Olonilua, SKMC '26 and Natalie Perlov, SKMC '25, the DEAFMed series seeks to educate health professions students about Deaf culture & history and how to work with the Deaf community.

This lecture is a "crash course" on communicating with Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the United States. You will learn about Deaf culture and American Sign Language (ASL), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other relevant laws, communication tips and strategies (including how you can use the technology you already have at your fingertips to better communicate), as well as how to work with a sign language interpreter.

Presenters: Tanya Sturgis (Education Manager, DHCC) and Neil McDevitt (Executive Director, DHCC)

Tanya Sturgis is the Education Manager for the Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre (DHCC) in Swarthmore, PA. Tanya is responsible for coordinating ASL classes, sensitivity training programs, and other educational ventures. Before joining DHCC, Tanya worked for Gallaudet University as an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor. She currently lives in the King of Prussia area with her partner, 2 dogs, and 6 cats.

Neil McDevitt is the Executive Director for the Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre in Swarthmore, PA. DHCC is the largest provider of interpreting services in the Philadelphia region and is also a key provider of advocacy services for communication access for the deaf community in the area as well. Neil joins DHCC after assignments at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Telecommunications for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Inc (TDI), and The Leadership Foundry.

Questions? Contact Kirsten Bowen, Humanities Program Coordinator, at kirsten.bowen@jefferson.edu.

Tuesday, August 27, 12-1PM, Scott Memorial Library 200A. Lunch provided.

Bring your notes and ideas about the Humanities programs you have attended so far during this academic year. Leave with fresh ideas about how you might turn your impressions into thoughtful, creative reflections as you complete your Asano portfolio. We will focus mostly on written reflections, but will also touch on other forms of creative response to the events, topics, and experiences you have been collecting as an Asano candidate. You will leave this workshop with examples of concise essays and poems that might inspire your own reflections. We will also discuss how a reflective practice could help you grow and thrive throughout your career as a healthcare professional.

Led by Shawn Gonzalez, PhD, Assistant Director for Writing Services, Office of Academic & Career Success. Lunch provided.

Questions? Contact Kirsten Bowen, Humanities Program Coordinator, at kirsten.bowen@jefferson.edu.

Wednesday, September 11, 5-7 PM, BLSB 105.

Curated by Co-Directors and DEAFMed student liaisons Dominic Finan, SKMC '27, Benedicta Olonilua, SKMC '26 and Natalie Perlov, SKMC '25, the DEAFMed series seeks to educate health professions students about Deaf culture & history and how to work with the Deaf community.

This lecture will cover important and helpful terms to know in regard to using American Sign Language (ASL) in the medical setting. You will learn how to better communicate with Deaf and hard-of-hearing people in a medical setting, as well as other tools at your disposal beyond ASL.

Presenter Karen Kennedy has been teaching ASL and Deaf culture for DHCC for 37 years, and she also works as a Deaf interpreter. She used to be a staff accountant for PECO/Exelon/Constellation before retiring. She also volunteers frequently for DHCC and other non-profits. She has three children (hearing, called Child of Deaf Adults, CODAs), one granddaughter who is 3 years old, and another grandchild on the way.

Questions? Contact Kirsten Bowen, Humanities Program Coordinator, at kirsten.bowen@jefferson.edu.

Friday, September 13, 12-1PM, BLSB 105. 

Curated by Co-Directors and DEAFMed student liaisons Dominic Finan, SKMC '27, Benedicta Olonilua, SKMC '26 and Natalie Perlov, SKMC '25, the DEAFMed series seeks to educate health professions students about Deaf culture & history and how to work with the Deaf community.

Facilitated by SKMC student liaison for DEAFMed Dominic Finan, Class of 2027 

 Join us for an informal signing session where we will be practicing basic signs that you can use when communicating with DHH individuals in medical and non-medical settings.

Questions? Contact Kirsten Bowen, Humanities Program Coordinator, at kirsten.bowen@jefferson.edu.

Tuesday, September 17, 12-1PM, Scott Memorial Library 200A. Lunch provided.

Reading/Listening:

‘Henrietta Lacks’: A Donor’s Immortal Legacy, interview with Rebecca Skloot on Fresh Air here(2010) (audio: 37min)

Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Henrietta Lacks And Race,” The Atlantic, February 2010.

Time: 40 min of reading and listening

The Health Humanities Reading Group explores the life and legacy of Henrietta Lacks, whose cervical cells, taken and used without her knowledge, have played a role in modernity as we know it: from vaccines to medicine to space travel. Lacks’ story is unique but also representative of the pervasive mistreatment of Black people by institutions of medicine, science, education, and healthcare.

Special guest discussant: Ana Mari­a Lopez, MD, MPH, MACP, Professor and Vice Chair, Medical Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Chief of Cancer Services, Jefferson Health New Jersey, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center

About HHRG

The Health Humanities Reading Group (HHRG) gathers regularly to think critically about health as it is understood through various disciplinary perspectives, social contexts and value systems. This ongoing program is open to students, faculty and staff, and offers an informal learning environment facilitated by participants. Participants are expected to read, and come prepared to discuss, the text selected for each session.

Wednesday, September 25, 5-7PM, BLSB 105.

Curated by Co-Directors and DEAFMed student liaisons Dominic Finan, SKMC '27, Benedicta Olonilua, SKMC '26 and Natalie Perlov, SKMC '25, the DEAFMed series seeks to educate health professions students about Deaf culture & history and how to work with the Deaf community.

This lecture will cover the important milestones in Deaf history, from the 19th century to present (plus a few tidbits going as far back as Ancient Greece). You will learn about how politics, education, community, and other factors contributed to the current state of Deaf culture and community in the United States. Additionally, you will learn more about Deaf people in the arts from the 20th century to present. We will be covering various Deaf experience as expressed through the arts.

 Presenter Charles McGowan grew up in Havertown in a Deaf family, and is currently a professor at West Chester University in the Deaf Studies & American Sign Language (ASL) department within the Language & Cultures department. He considers himself a Deaf history and ASL aficionado, and that is where his area of expertise lies - he double-majored in Deaf Studies & History.

Questions? Contact Kirsten Bowen, Humanities Program Coordinator, at kirsten.bowen@jefferson.edu.

Thursday, September 27, 12-1PM, Scott Memorial Library 200A. Lunch provided.

Bring your notes and ideas about the Humanities programs you have attended so far during this academic year. Leave with fresh ideas about how you might turn your impressions into thoughtful, creative reflections as you complete your Asano portfolio. We will focus mostly on written reflections, but will also touch on other forms of creative response to the events, topics, and experiences you have been collecting as an Asano candidate. You will leave this workshop with examples of concise essays and poems that might inspire your own reflections. We will also discuss how a reflective practice could help you grow and thrive throughout your career as a healthcare professional.

Led by Shawn Gonzalez, PhD, Assistant Director for Writing Services, Office of Academic & Career Success. Lunch provided.

Students who have already taken the August 27th session of this class are not eligible to receive Asano Humanities & Health Certificate credit for this class.

Questions? Contact Kirsten Bowen, Humanities Program Coordinator, at kirsten.bowen@jefferson.edu.

Tuesday, October 1, 12-1PM, Scott Memorial Library 200A. Lunch provided.

Join the Health Humanities Reading Group for a discussion of chapter 2, ("Breast Cancer: A Black Lesbian Feminist Experience") or chapter 3 ("Breast Cancer: Power vs Prosthesis) from Audre Lorde's The Cancer Journals. Participants can choose to read either or both of the chapters.

Access the Reading on the Jefferson Humanities & Health Canvas.

Published over forty years ago, this is a powerful account of Audre Lorde's experience with breast cancer and a masectomy. Lorde questions the rules of conformity for women's body images and supported the need to confront physical loss bit hidden by prosthesis. The Cancer Journals presents Lorde healing and reenvisioning herself on her own terms while offering her voice, grief, resistance and courage to those dealing with their own diagnosis.

Special guest discussant: Ana Mari­a Lopez, MD, MPH, MACP, Professor and Vice Chair, Medical Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Chief of Cancer Services, Jefferson Health New Jersey, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.

Copies of The Cancer Journals will be provided at the session. Lunch provided.

About HHRG

The Health Humanities Reading Group (HHRG) gathers regularly to think critically about health as it is understood through various disciplinary perspectives, social contexts and value systems. This ongoing program is open to students, faculty and staff, and offers an informal learning environment facilitated by participants. Participants are expected to read, and come prepared to discuss, the text selected for each session.

Wednesday, October 9, 5-7PM, BLSB 107.

Curated by Co-Directors and DEAFMed student liaisons Dominic Finan, SKMC '27, Benedicta Olonilua, SKMC '26 and Natalie Perlov, SKMC '25, the DEAFMed series seeks to educate health professions students about Deaf culture & history and how to work with the Deaf community.

In this session, attendees will have the opportunity to step into the shoes of DHH patients or clinicians serving DHH patients. This immersive event will provide a safe and supportive environment for participants to experience firsthand the challenges and triumphs of communication in the DHH community. Through engaging role play exercises, attendees will gain invaluable insights into Deaf culture, American Sign Language (ASL), and effective strategies for providing healthcare to Deaf individuals.

Presenters: Karen Kennedy, experienced Deaf interpreter in medical settings & Charles McGowan (Historian: Bachelor’s in History and Deaf Studies, Masters in Deaf Education)

Questions? Contact Kirsten Bowen, Humanities Program Coordinator, at kirsten.bowen@jefferson.edu.

Monday, October 14, 12-1PM, JAH 207. Lunch provided.

A microaggression is an unintentional and unconscious action that can negatively affect our day-to-day human interactions. They cause real harm to individuals. There is a large amount of evidence that it can be a major factor in the creation of disparities in the healthcare environment that can ultimately lead to patient-care disparities. In this session, we will define microaggressions, its documented effects in medicine, the concept of silent collusion, and the steps one can take to disarm the effects of microaggression.

At the end of the session, the attendees will be able to

• Define microaggressions.

• Give two examples of how microaggressions affect the patient care environment.

• Define “silent collusion.”

• Name at least three techniques to address a witnessed microaggression.

Facilitator: Bernard L. Lopez, MD, MS, CPE, FACEP, FAAEM, Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, Thomas Jefferson University.

Questions? Contact Kirsten Bowen, Humanities Program Coordinator, at kirsten.bowen@jefferson.edu.

Monday, November 11, 12-1PM, JAH 307. Lunch provided.

The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) play a significant role in individual and population health outcomes. SDOH is affected by many factors. One factor is racism as it affects all aspects of SDOH. In this session, we’ll define racism, examine its history as it relates to the social determinants of health, and examine the city of Philadelphia’s health outcomes by neighborhood. 

Objectives – at the end of the session, learners will be able to: 

Define the institution of racism and its many forms, including structural racism 

List 5 components of the Social Determinants of Health 

Discuss the importance of structural competency 

Discuss examples of structural racism’s effects as a barrier to health equity 

Facilitator: Bernard L. Lopez, MD, MS, CPE, FACEP, FAAEM, Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, Thomas Jefferson University.

Questions? Contact Kirsten Bowen, Humanities Program Coordinator, at kirsten.bowen@jefferson.edu.

Wednesday, November 13, 5-7PM, BLSB 105.

Curated by Co-Directors and DEAFMed student liaisons Dominic Finan, SKMC '27, Benedicta Olonilua, SKMC '26 and Natalie Perlov, SKMC '25, the DEAFMed series seeks to educate health professions students about Deaf culture & history and how to work with the Deaf community.

During this session, you will be able to further develop your communication skills with Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, enhance your cultural competence, and refine your ability to collaborate with sign language interpreters. This skills reinforcement session aims to solidify attendees’ understanding and confidence in effectively navigating healthcare interactions with the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

Presenters: Karen Kennedy, experienced Deaf interpreter in medical settings & Charles McGowan (Historian: Bachelor’s in History and Deaf Studies, Masters in Deaf Education)

Questions? Contact Kirsten Bowen, Humanities Program Coordinator, at kirsten.bowen@jefferson.edu.