New Journal: The International Journal of Healthcare & Humanities

The Department of Humanities at Penn State University (Hershey Medical College) has unveiled a new peer-reviewed journal entitled The International Journal of Healthcare & Humanities.  Here is some of the discussion regarding the Journal:

The International Journal of Healthcare & Humanities is a scholarly journal that stimulates creativity, scholarship, and compassion. The notion of combining the rigor of peer review, the constraints of APA formatting, and the beauty of words and art may seem paradoxical, but what better captures the essence of our lives as providers and guardians of health care?

In this era of high tech health care, it's no secret that the art and science of the caring professions is changed and changing. As we face a more complex practice environment, we need to be ready to flex every bit of our mental muscle in new ways in order to provide the best care possible. That's where the opportunity for a different perspective, such as this one, comes in. At the place where the humanities interface with health care is a space where we reside 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In that same place is the discovery of innovation, and new energy.

This journal has been selected to be archived online by the Penn State Universities Libraries.

Seeking Submissions
Published twice a year by the Penn State College of Medicine Department of Humanities. We are seeking submissions for both the fall and spring issues. The International Journal of Healthcare & Humanities accepts original articles, papers presented at scholarly conferences, essays. poetry, creative writing, letters to the editor, photography and original artwork. Work which examines the interface of healthcare and the humanities from a global perspective is welcomed.

All submissions will be peer reviewed as per standard practice, i.e. anonymously and with pre-established criteria for fit with the journal. A decision to accept, reject, or request revisions will be determined by reviewers. If you are interested in reviewing for the journal, please submit your c.v. to the Editor (cdellasega@psu.edu).

Manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with the style guidelines set forth by the publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition. The Journal reserves the right to edit manuscripts, delete extraneous or excess material, and change titles and headings. Please include a cover letter with your submission that acknowledges your role as creator of the work, along with signatures of any co--authors or co-contributors, and affirm that it is original work with rights owned by the creator(s).

Penn State - Hershey, it should be noted, was one of the earliest adopters of the medical humanities, back in the early-to-mid 1970s, when it undertook an experiment to conduct a radically different form of medical education.  The experiment in that form ended, but the tradition of the medical humanities is alive and well there, so the journal looks to be well-positioned, in my mind.  (As a side note, I do wonder why submissions to a medical humanities journal should take on APA style, as opposed to humanities, literature, or even biomedical style).

You can download the inaugural issue here(PDF). 

Comments

[Cheryl Dellasega]

Thanks for this mention--we've already had some great feedback on the content. As for APA format, since the submissions are interdisciplinary it seemed best to pick either AMA or APA. But we're quite helpful with formatting, and perhaps we need to think about accepting submissions in discipline-specific format. Now there's a novel idea, but one that might stretch the editor's brain too far!

[Daniel S. Goldberg]

Hey Cheryl,

One thing I've had to get used to as an interdisciplinary person is having to utilize 4-5 different styles depending on the journal for which placement is sought. I've used APA, Chicago Manual, Vancouver, Legal, and several journal-specific styles as well. It's frustrating, especially when you are a graduate student and are more likely to serve as a research assistant than enjoy the benefits of "having" a research assistant . . .

Thanks for reading and commenting!