Skip to main content

Master of Arts in Medical Humanities & Bioethics

Our program examines medicine and its ethical implications from the diverse perspectives of the humanities, including philosophy, history, literature, anthropology, and the law. Students acquire a richer, multidisciplinary understanding of medicine that can be applied to medical practice, consulting, and scholarship.

Mandy Browning

This education has allowed me an opportunity to understand the means by which I can apply an ethical framework for moral conduct in the course of both my research and my interaction with patients and families.

- Mandy Browning, MA Student
Brian Chou

As a future clinician, my hope is to be able to write. Not necessarily published papers, but offer new perspectives, to dispel myths and inaccuracies of the profession.

- Brian Chou, MD/MA Student
Brian Chou

I absolutely love the diversity of the program. They invite teachers and experts from law, sociology, literature, history, and more to lecture.

- Brian Chou, MD/MA Student
Estefy Fiallos

Solving an ethical dilemma is not simply a matter of your personal sense of right or wrong - it requires training to be able to understand a situation from all perspectives. 

- Estefy Fiallos, MD/MA Student
Aryeh Goldberg

The program gave me the incredible opportunity to take a reflective step back and to think more broadly about what I’m doing in my medical training and what kind of doctor I am striving to become.

- Aryeh Goldberg, MD/MA Student
Aryeh Goldberg

The faculty are not only warm, welcoming, supportive and encouraging – they are true experts in their fields, revered and well-respected across the country. This was evident during my residency interviews when many people would ask if I had the chance to meet with this or that MH&B professor. I was able to proudly state that I’ve worked closely with them.

- Aryeh Goldberg, MD/MA Student
Aryeh Goldberg

Other programs were focused on bioethics from a strictly legal or philosophical vantage point. This program does that, but has also expanded my skills and interests, giving tremendous depth to my understanding of the field.

- Aryeh Goldberg, MD/MA Student
Catherine Groden

The practice of medicine is and always has been so much more than science and drugs and evidence. Attempting to understand the human complexities surrounding healthcare can only prepare us for what lies ahead.

- Catherine Groden, MD/MA Student
Sean Posada

I hope to be a part of an ethics committee during residency and beyond. I also think that medical humanities and bioethics will allow me to better care for and understand my patients in my everyday practice.

- Sean Posada, MD/MA Student
Margaret Russel

As a non-traditional student, the MH&B program seemed like a way to stay connected with my background in the humanities and to integrate it into my future practice of medicine.

- Margaret Russel, MD/MA Student
Margaret Russel

I am interested in health justice and advocacy, and I believe that the skills I gained through the MH&B program will allow me to be involved in shaping the future of healthcare policy in the United States.

- Margaret Russel, MD/MA Student