Greifswald Medical Humanities Network

Medical Humanities is a transdisciplinary field of research and practice that is defined by its focus on topics relating to medicine, health, illness, care and death. The topics are not researched exclusively from a medical and scientific perspective (which is what the ‘medical’ stands for), but also - and primarily - from the perspective of the so-called ‘humanities’. This English term roughly covers the scientific disciplines that are considered humanities, social, cultural and behavioural sciences in the German academic system. There is currently no German term for ‘medical humanities’ that would adequately cover this spectrum of disciplines and thus the conceptual breadth of the approach.

There are a number of disciplines that traditionally deal with medical topics and examine them from a humanistic perspective. Medical ethics and the history of medicine are among the traditional disciplines in this field. From this perspective, Volker Roelcke (2017) argues in favour of a ‘culturally competent provision of medicine’ (title: Vom Menschen in der Medizin. Für eine kulturwissenschaftlich kompetente Heilkunde. Gießen: Psychosozial-Verlag). This understanding largely corresponds to the understanding of medical humanities, but it is not entirely in line with it. On the one hand, it is not merely about expertise in cultural science (because this would exclude medical psychology, for example), on the other hand, it is not just about expanding medicine beyond its own borders, but - ideally - about the mutual exchange between the disciplines involved. Roelcke's plea would have to be expanded accordingly, which would lead to an unwieldy formulation such as provision of medicine that corresponds to aspects of the humanities and social, cultural and behavioural sciences, in close exchange with non-medical and non-scientific disciplines. The established English term Medical Humanities is much more catchy and factually accurate.

The difficulty in translating this term is due to the fact that this transdisciplinary approach to medical topics currently only exists very selectively in Germany and the systematic transdisciplinary approach is hardly represented in the German-speaking research landscape and medical practice. We use the English term in order to transfer this broad concept to the German-speaking research landscape, to localise and anchor it there. At the same time, we would like to continue the tradition of medical humanities that has existed in English-speaking countries since the 1970s.

Since our network is interested, for example, in the linguistic and communicative construction of knowledge, theoretical concepts and methodological approaches; and since such processes are among the subjects of our research, the difficulty of translating the concept of ‘Medical Humanities’ into German is also part of our process of reflection and self-discovery.

The Greifswald Medical Humanities Network brings together over 30 active members of staff and students from various areas of the University of Greifswald and University Medicine Greifswald. They represent more than 15 disciplines, which investigate topics relating to health, illness, care, death, etc. from specific perspectives (see Expertise [de]). The network sees itself as an open platform for interdisciplinary and interprofessional exchange with a focus on medical humanities. It offers expertise in research and teaching as well as opportunities for collaboration on various topics.

The areas covered in research and teaching include clinical practice in patient treatment as well as the embedding of medicine in historical, social, ethical and communicative contexts. Specific topics include doctor-patient communication, public health communication, gender medicine, preventive measures, the conceptualisation of health and illness or the conceptual understanding of ‘One Health’ and its relationship to the concept of health. In addition, researchers are looking at the use of smartphone apps to identify mental illnesses, examining mass media health discourses such as depression or homeopathy discourse, and analysing illness narratives or medical textbooks.

In May 2024, Medical Humanities was determined one of 12 key research topics in the University of Greifswald's new Research Strategy (see image from the Research Strategy 2024 document, p. 6). The 12 key research topics are interlinked in many ways with the three overarching research domains of One Health, Prevention and the Baltic Sea Region. Just how well the Medical Humanities are networked became clear at several networking meetings [de] at the UG and UMG in 2024. Networking is also evident in existing, closer collaborations. We are in close dialogue with the T!Raum Initiative as part of the One Health focus area. Within the prevention research domain, we are closely networked with prevention research, which is represented by several members of our network. We are in contact with the IFZO as part of the Baltic Sea Region research domain. The Medical Humanities also offer numerous points of contact with the other key research topics. Members of our network are players in the key research topics of Gender Studies (IZfG and InkE project), Community Medicine and Peripeties & Transformation. There is likewise further contact with other key research topics.

The focus of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on healthcare and health tourism makes it necessary to integrate the expertise in medical humanities. This political aspiration and its implementation in health policy must go hand in hand with the promotion of medicine and medical humanities. Medical studies will be reformed in key areas over the next few years on the basis of the new licensing regulations. The new licensing regulations place a high level of emphasis on direct clinical contact with patients and social and communication skills when dealing with patients and in interprofessional teams. This focuses on skills that are not researched, discussed, reflected upon and taught in medicine, but in the medical humanities. The expertise of the Greifswald Medical Humanities Network contributes towards mastering future challenges.