The network MedEnv: Intersections of medical and environmental humanities was supported by a Wellcome Trust small grant from 2019-2023. It was led by Clare Hickman (Newcastle University) in collaboration with Chris Pearson (University of Liverpool) and Victoria Bates and Marianna Dudley (both University of Bristol). You can see more about the network and read our blog here: https://medenvnetwork.wordpress.com
Our key goal was to establish a network and programme of activities that explored the intersection between medical and environmental humanities. Our ambition was to lead research in this field from an historically-informed humanities standpoint and to develop future research collaborations to consider the rich nature of human and non-human interrelationships and their impact on health and wellbeing. One of our main aims will be to explore how the humanities can be of value in understanding the challenges facing humans and non-humans (which includes the environment as well as animals) in relation to physical and mental health concerns posed by climate change, environmental degradation, and animal-borne diseases. These themes were all identified at a workshop held at Bristol in February 2019 which was kindly supported by the Centre for the Humanities and Social Sciences of Health, Medicine and Technology at the University of Liverpool and the Centres of Health, Humanities and Science and Environmental Humanities at the University of Bristol.
Dr Clare Hickman 