By Sophia Vona, Catherine Pabalate, and Arjun Gupta
On Saturday, February 21st, HHIVE hosted the Triangle’s first-ever Health and the Human Conference, where undergraduates and other early-career researchers could address topical issues of human health while considering the political, social, and cultural contexts within which they occur. Us organizers—Sophia, Catherine, and Arjun—are excited to share the incredible presentations and conversations that we experienced.
The Conference
The conference began with a keynote speech from Duke University’s Dr. Priscilla Wald, a health humanities professor whose research focuses on contemporary narratives of science and medicine, as well as the intersections between the environment, law, and literature. Dr. Wald encouraged conference attendees to think beyond the biomedical to the human aspects of health, such as the language we use to frame infection, illness, and recovery. Dr. Wald’s speech was an inspiring beginning to our presentations, setting the stage for a close examination into the complexities of both global and local issues in health, medicine, and the environment.
Next, attendees heard from ten undergraduate presenters, whose projects were split into three sessions. First was “Localities of Care,” which included presentations that considered how place and space impact healthcare. This covered research about specific physical localities, such as Winni Opel’s work on public health risk from cyanobacteria in Lake Winnipesaukee. However, it also included research about professional spaces, such as Zoe Wilcox’s work on the location of U.S. treatment courts and recovery access, and Luke Johnson’s work on the attunement framework in biomedical care contexts.
The second session, “Narratives of Health,” included projects that examined the ways in which we narrate our experiences of health, as well as the importance of such narratives. We heard from Muskaan Iyer about the importance of patient lived experiences in highlighting gaps in Medicaid coverage or accessibility. From Joan Lee, we learned how transformative works of fiction, which draw from pre-existing literary canon, offer space for nuanced mental health narratives. This session was concluded by HHIVE’s Ramsey Hunt team, presented by Tara Penman and Vineeta Pasala, who discussed the importance of patient narratives in relaying the experience of having a rare and often-misdiagnosed form of facial nerve paralysis.
After our lunch break, in which we had the opportunity to chat and network with all of the passionate researchers, we returned to the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence for the final session. The third session, “Global and Local Health,” discussed health topics at the global and local context, including the political and social factors that drive both. Here, we learned from Anushka Peer, who assessed the importance of health literacy among auto mechanics working with toxic heavy metals in Accra, Ghana. This presentation was followed by Emma Hedinger’s, which discussed how oral histories documented the socioeconomic barriers to health experienced by marginalized communities in Robeson County. Next, Miri Feigin presented a comparative analysis of sex education programs in North Carolina and southern France.
The final presenters, Sarah Pazokian and Alex Copsey, brought in a new rhythm with their film showing. Pazokian and Copsey presented “A Place of Care,” their documentary about the Za’atari Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan, where they interviewed patients and providers about the impact of international budget cuts on the health outcomes of displaced Syrian women. This final presentation really highlighted the mission of this conference—to promote interdisciplinarity, research diversity, and academic creativity.
After the presentation sessions, we partnered with the Health Humanities Journal (HHJ) to host a reflective writing exercise. We wanted to practice writing together at the boundary of medicine and meaning, using this time as an opportunity to facilitate collaborative thinking and dialogue. As a group, we considered the implications of taking on different perspectives and the importance of imagination in making meaning of different health topics. This activity marked a calming end to our journey through a variety of interesting research projects.
The last segment of our conference included the poster session and networking event. Here, attendees had the opportunity to build connections, share more about their experiences, and follow up on their questions about each others’ research. It was heartening to feel the excitement amongst the attendees, to see the institutional relationships of the Triangle strengthening. This energy made all of our preparation for the conference worthwhile!
Building the Conference
Less than a year ago, we presented the idea of the Health and the Human Conference to the HHIVE Lab, hoping to provide an interdisciplinary space for health humanities researchers to connect, learn new topics and methodologies, and gain valuable presentation experience. We were inspired by the Triangle Undergraduate Literary Conference (TULC) at Duke, which was also organized by undergraduate researchers. In addition, we wanted to build stronger relationships with the health humanities scholars at different academic institutions of the Triangle, such as Duke, NC State, and NCCU. For a while, this idea existed in a vague, semi-structured state, as there were many variables and logistics to consider, and our time frame was limited. However, we were driven by our passion, so we did what we could to make this idea into a reality!
We collaborated on logistical work to find rental space, conference materials, and the proper budget to fund these items. By working with the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Department of English & Comparative Literature, and the School of Medicine’s Department of Social Medicine, we were able to secure enough funds to collect our necessary materials. Communications played a significant role as well—we had to find both presenters and general attendees. Another considerable portion of our preparation included promoting on social media, calling for proposals, and sharing our information with health humanities-associated departments. To make each of these factors attainable, we kept our goals focused and realistic. We were aware of our logistical limits and made sure to prioritize the conference necessities.
One of the most exciting factors of preparation was reading through the proposals and learning about everyone’s research projects. We worked together to discuss whose projects shared salient themes or impacts, and we collaborated on a presentation order with a constructive flow between presenters. This was one of the moments in which the conference began to feel real, where we could begin to see the fruits of our labors.
Creating the Health and the Human Conference has been an incredible experience for all of us. Not only did we learn about the compelling work of our peers, but we gained so much from the process of conceptualizing, planning, and organizing a conference in a discipline about which we are deeply passionate. This experience taught us that ambition, excitement, and dedication are some of the defining factors in the creation of brand-new projects. Lastly, we hope that HHIVE can use this Health and the Human Conference as a model for future inter-institutional collaborative efforts!
We would like to thank all of our presenters by giving this conference life with their inspiring projects. We would like to thank our attendees, for the energy and attention they brought. Our collaborators at the Department of Social Medicine, OUR, The Digital Literacy Lab/ Dr. Courtney Rivard, and Honors Carolina, who made hosting this event a possibility in the first place. And finally, Dr. Weed, whose constant support was vital every step of the way.