The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, one of the UK’s newer medical schools, has got a lot of things going for it, including its location in the glorious west country. A fact that won’t escape the notice of those lucky enough to be attending the annual conference of the Association of Medical Humanities this July. Given the many attractions of the two sites for the conference- Truro and Penzance- it’s a wonder that delegates will manage to drag themselves from the delights of coastal scenery and local hospitality and into the lecture hall. And yet knowing the team organising this conference and the programme on offer I’m pretty sure the halls will be full. Given that I’m running one of the workshops I do of course have an ulterior motive in hoping so.
The subtitle for the conference, ‘Conversations between surgery, pathology, the humanities and the arts’, is, unabashedly clinical in orientation, and should I hope help the conference appeal to a wide audience. And for those who prefer their medical humanities conferences to include a lot of art and literature, don’t let the title fool you. The MH team at Truro have packed the programme with all the arts and humanities goodies you could want. Enough to refresh your batteries, fill you with innovative ideas, and, if you and your patients are lucky, enough to help ensure you wield your scalpel of choice with even more care and consideration.
The closing date for bookings is the 14th June so do hurry if you want to secure one of the few remaining places.
Highlights, in addition to the cornish cream teas planned for day 2, include
Keynotes and Plenaries by
Francis Wells: The heart of Leonardo da Vinci decoded
David Cotterrell: Medicine in conflicted landscapes
Allison Crawford (Toronto): The First Cut Is the Deepest: Self, Other, Story and Scalpel
Kevin Patterson (Vancouver): A Less Romantic era
Roger Kneebone (London): Simulation – art and science?
A performance
Must: the Inside Story ‐ Peggy Shaw (New York) with the Clod Ensemble (London)
Workshops
Juliet Percival and John Lee: Drawing on the body for Gunther von Hagens
Mark Kidel: Fine Cut: Alternative narratives in the documentary filming of surgery
Marie‐Christine Pouchelle: Robotics for surgeons: magic trick or hidden trap? (Technological innovations and professional dynamics)
Roger Kneebone, Max Campbell, Cian Plumbe and Matt Harrison: Simulation in surgery ‐ the inflatable operating theatre
Exhibition curated by Christine Borland:
Green Room – a film by David Cotterrell (2009, 30 mins looped)
SimWoman – a newly commissioned film by Christine Borland (short loop)
Nobody’s Home – a newly commissioned film by Susan Bleakley (short loop)
If you would like further details on the conference before booking please email amhsecretary@pms.ac.uk or telephone Petrina Bradbrook on 01872 256403.