Theory and Wellness

Join us for the “Theory and Wellness” presentation on Thursday, February 27^th which features University of Arizona faculty from multiple disciplines as they explore three theoretical approaches to health. Panelists will discuss topics such as “Bodies of Evidence” and “Politics of Environmental Health”, and “Unsettled Conceptions of Heart Health.” This panel addresses a critique on the current medical approach of placing patients into categories of identity (e.g., women, African American, the elderly), and how re-thinking this categorization can offer a new way of understanding how people become sick. Also, it will investigate environmental remediation and how this strategy has implications for both our health and environment. Lastly, end-of-life decisions will be examined, specifically how they are complicated both practically and ethically by the use of implanted medical devices such as pacemakers and artificial hearts. A complete list of participants and topics are included below.
 
Moderator & Respondent: Susan Stryker, Ph.D. Director of the Institute for LGBT Studies and Associate Professor of Gender and Women's Studies
 
Presenter: Monica J. Casper, Ph.D. Professor and Head, Department of Gender & Women's Studies
Title: Bodies of Evidence: Locating the Missing Body in Health Disparities Research
 
Presenter: Lee Medovoi, Ph.D. Professor and Head, Department of English 
Title: Remediation: Pharmikons and the Politics of Environmental Health
 
Presenter: Michael Gill, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Head, Department of Philosophy
Title: Unsettled Conceptions of Heart Health: Implanted Medical Devices and Treatment Decisions at the End of Life
 
This panel is part of the broader three-day Humanities, Medicine & Wellness Conference featuring University of Arizona faculty working at the intersections of the humanities, health sciences, and wellness initiatives to address global challenges. The conference will be held February 26-28, 2014 on the UA campus and will integrate research panels and papers from the Colleges of Humanities, Law, Medicine, Public Health, Science, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and others. Sponsored by the College of Humanities, all events are free and open to the public.
 
For more conference session and event information, go to: http://HMW.arizona.edu