D’Youville Launches New Major in Health Humanities

D’Youville Launches New Major in Health Humanities

Buffalo, New York – October 14, 2020 – D’Youville has added a new undergraduate major in Health Humanities to create a new pathway for students who wish to prepare for healthcare careers through the exploration of the human experience. The program is available as both a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts.

D’Youville is the first school in Western New York, and only the third school in New York State, to offer a major in health humanities. Currently, Syracuse University and Columbia University offers similar programs, while four other New York schools offer the program as a minor.

“Health humanities programs have become increasingly popular in the United States, growing from a dozen or so to more than 100 in the past 20 years,” says Gina Camodeca, PhD, chair of D’Youville’s Department of Humanities. “The major is ideal for students who are seeking alternate routes to healthcare careers by exploring the social and cultural issues involved in health and medicine.”

D’Youville’s program will offer experiential learning, internships, and collaborative opportunities for learning in the university’s new Healthcare Professions Hub, a state-of-art teaching, learning, and training facility that will prepare students to work in real-world settings. Students will take traditional humanities courses, including history, social sciences, and fine arts, while exploring health subjects to prepare for a successful career centered on people-focused healthcare.

Health humanities graduates may choose to enter medical school, pursue healthcare careers, or seek positions in fields such as government, the greater healthcare industry (including marketing, sales, medical research, consulting, and insurance), and administration.

“Studies have shown that undergraduate health humanities training increases student interest in medical specialties that are currently experiencing shortages, such as primary care, pediatrics, and psychiatry. These workforce shortages are anticipated to increase in the Buffalo area over the coming years,” Camodeca says.

Graduates might also choose to enter one of D’Youville’s own advanced healthcare programs, including chiropractic, dietetics, health professions education, health administration and public health, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or physician assistant.

For more information about the health humanities program, contact the D’Youville Office of Admissions at 716-829-7600 or admissions@dyc.edu.