University of Montana
In the autumn semester, Dr. Herbert Swick, the IMH Executive Director, teaches Doctors' Stories, an upper division course in the Davidson Honors College at The University of Montana. A number of physicians have successfully combined an active medical practice with a career as an author. Each facet of their work, as physician and writer, enriched the other. This course will utilize the works of several physician-writers to explore the experiences of illness and healing, as well as to provide insights into what it means to be a physician.
In the spring semester, Dr. Swick directs "From the Black Death to AIDS: The Cultural and Scientific Impact of Plague," an upper division course in the Davidson Honors College at The University of Montana. This course explores several epidemic diseases, including plague, smallpox, tuberculosis and AIDS. The course focuses on both scientific and medical aspects of the diseases and on their social and cultural impact. Readings are drawn from the humanities and the sciences.
Montana Committee for the Humanities
Dr. Swick has been named to the Speaker's Bureau of the Montana Committee for the Humanities (MCH). Under the auspices of the MCH, he looks forward to giving a presentation entitled “A Plague On It! The Past, Present and Future of Epidemics.” From the Black Death of Europe in the 14th century to the emergence of AIDS in the 20th century, and from outbreaks of smallpox among Native Americans to the threat of avian influenza, epidemics have advanced our medical knowledge and transformed our social and cultural beliefs.