M1/M2 Medical Humanities & Applied Arts Student Seminars
Medical humanities and applied arts seminars invite students to explore healthcare and the profession of medicine, introducing them to basic texts, methods and questions that the humanities use to illuminate topics or problems in healthcare. Offered in partnership with the Center for Bioethics & Medical Humanities, these seminars provide new perspectives on healing, patient care and the human experience of illness.
The Osher Center offers two medical humanities seminar options for first- and second-year medical students:
M1: Cooking Up Health: An Introduction to Culinary Medicine
Culinary medicine offers a unique entry point into the medical humanities by exploring the cultural, ethical and historical dimensions of food and nutrition. Through the lens of integrative medicine, students examine how dietary practices influence individual health, patient care, public health and social equity.
Over five interactive sessions, students prepare plant-forward dishes, reflect on the concept of food as medicine and experience how the artistry of cooking intersects with the science of nutrition and the principles of whole-person care.
Schedule
2026–27 Seminar Dates
- January 25, 2027 (session will run from 4 to 6 p.m.)
- February 1, 2027
- February 8, 2027
- February 22, 2027
- March 1, 2027
Five sessions are held over three months and include a service-learning component. Sessions typically run from 3 to 5 p.m., unless otherwise noted.
Logistics and Considerations
- Approximately one hour of pre-work per session, including brief readings or ingredient preparation
- Plant-forward culinary activities that reflect principles of health promotion and sustainability
- Grocery gift cards provided for virtual cooking sessions to help offset ingredient costs
Students with food allergies or dietary restrictions are expected to exercise caution and use personal discretion regarding participation and are welcome to contact the course faculty before the seminar. While accommodations will be considered whenever possible, ingredient substitutions are not guaranteed.
Note: This seminar emphasizes the cultural, historical and humanistic dimensions of food and cooking rather than basic nutrition science or patient counseling, which are covered by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine nutrition curriculum. Students interested in the clinical application of culinary medicine can continue their learning through the two-week Cooking Up Health elective for M3 and M4 students.
Learning Objectives
- Analyze historical and cultural perspectives on food as medicine.
- Evaluate the role of food in building community and addressing health disparities.
- Analyze literary and artistic representations of food as a symbol of healing, identity and transformation.
- Apply mindful eating and sensory awareness practices to support stress reduction and emotional well-being.
- Evaluate ethical, environmental and health-related impacts of food systems and sustainable dietary practices.
M2: Integrative Medicine Medical Humanities Seminar
This seminar explores evidence-based integrative medicine and the relationship between conventional medicine and alternative healing modalities. Students examine the body-mind-spirit connection while developing a deeper understanding of whole-person care, evidence-based practice and physician well-being.
Schedule
2026–27 Seminar Dates
- November 30, 2026
- December 7, 2026
- January 11, 2027
- January 18, 2027 (no class; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observed)
- January 25, 2027
Four sessions are held over three months and typically run from 1 to 3 p.m., unless otherwise noted.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the core principles of integrative medicine and whole-person care.
- Discuss how personal, cultural, ethnic and spiritual beliefs influence health, illness and treatment.
- Describe the evidence supporting mind-body-spirit relationships and commonly used complementary and integrative medicine modalities.
- Locate, interpret and evaluate reputable integrative medicine resources using evidence-based principles.
- Recognize the strengths and limitations of biomedical knowledge and apply critical thinking when evaluating integrative medicine approaches.
- Explain the importance of physician well-being and maintaining balance in personal and professional life.
- Identify and analyze cultural and systemic barriers to accessing integrative medicine services and their impact on equitable care.