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  Disability as both a Source of Marginalization and a Tool for Agency In the Work of William Shakespeare

  Davi Kallman

  This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition “’And there’s the humor of it!’ Shakespeare and the Four Humors,” created by the National Library of Medicine and on display at McGoogan Library (Level 6) through March 15. An online exhibition is also available.

  Historically disability is ignored or absent in literature, art, culture, and media. While limited, representation of disability has been critiqued for perpetuating both inaccurate and demeaning stereotypes, leading to prejudice and discrimination against the disability community. William Shakespeare’s works often reflect the complex attitudes toward disability present in early Modern England. While not explicitly defined by Shakespeare, his works explore disability through a variety of characters and themes, reflecting both the prejudices and attitudes toward disabled people during this time.

  During this program, Davi Kallman, PhD will review the two most prominent and modern models of disability (medical and social models) and will discuss how Shakespeare’s work has influenced the creation of both these widely accepted models.

  Additionally, she will discuss how Shakespeare’s plays contain references to disabilities and non-normative bodies. This includes a review of these common themes addressed by disability and media scholars in William Shakespeare’s work:

  1. Disability as a Marker of Character
  2. Empathy and Humanity of Disability
  3. Social Stigma and Marginalization of Disability
  4. Disability as a Source of Power or Agency

  Lastly, she will reflect on how Shakespeare’s treatment of disability is multifaceted, blending prejudices of his era with moments of insight and empathy toward the disabled community. While his works do not advocate for progressive understanding of disability by modern standards, they offer nuanced portrayals that ask us to reflect on our own understanding of the social and personal implications of non-normative minds and bodies.

  About Dr. Davi Kallman

  Davi Kallman, PhD is a Mexican, Jewish, Disabled Woman whose intersecting identities amplify her advocacy for traditionally marginalized communities. She is a published author, an award-winning speaker, and a powerful institutional change-maker.

  Dr. Davi Kallman is the District Dean of Student Engagement at Pierce College in Lakewood Washington. Kallman also serves as Pierce College’s 504/ADA Coordinator. In this role she works with Pierce College District students, faculty, and staff to ensure that student disability rights are upheld. In her spare time, she serves as an adjunct Professor of Communication at Tacoma Community College (TCC).

  She earned her PhD in Health Communication from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University, following her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in communication from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Dr. Kallman leverages her expertise in media literacy and other interventions to dismantle stereotypes in institutional settings, fostering environments that are more inclusive and equitable.

  A key part of her journey has been informed by her own experiences as a dyslexic individual. Her work reflects her commitment to ensuring that individuals with disabilities—both visible and “hidden”—receive the support they need to thrive. Dr. Kallman’s experiences inform her vision for a more inclusive and accessible higher education system.

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  Biopreparedness in Nebraska: A History and Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Exhibit

  Darby Kurtz

  Discover the “Biopreparedness in Nebraska” exhibition through the eyes of exhibit curator, Darby Kurtz. During this McGoogan Sessions Health Sciences History Hour, Darby shared the history of biopreparedness as displayed in the exhibition in the Wigton Heritage Center.

  Like the exhibit, Darby’s presentation focused on the period from the 1990s when the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory moved to the Medical Center campus to present day responses and research that mark new milestones on the Nebraska Biopreparedness timeline.

  The talk also covered additional information about stories that are part of the exhibit and provided insights into curatorial decisions and processes that led to the current display.

  This talk will took place on the 5th anniversary of the Training, Simulation & Quarantine Center (TSQC), part of the Global Center for Health Security at UNMC, opening on the UNMC/Nebraska Medical Center campus. Read Med Center leaders’ reactions to that day in this previous UNMC Today article.

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  From Miracle to Menace: Discussing the Class Divide of Substance Use

  Lydia Kang

  A conversation with physician and author, Lydia Kang, to discuss her research related to substance misuse and its varied acceptance in society as seen in her writing, Opium and Absinthe, Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything, and A Beautiful Poison.

  Throughout history substance misuse has been a constant among all classes of people. Yet, the acceptability of “using” has changed with time, the substance, the user, and scientific understanding of the nature of addition. This social, moral and political conflict has played out in legislation and in fiction writing. Dr. Kang explores the overlaps and implications of the history, stigma, and acceptance of substance misuse as seen through her historical research, fictional characters, and her career as an internal medicine physician. This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Pick Your Poison: Intoxicating Pleasures & Medical Prescriptions, created by the National Library of Medicine and on display at McGoogan Library

  Lydia Kang is an author of young adult fiction, adult fiction and non-fiction, and poetry. She graduated from Columbia University and New York University School of Medicine, completing her residency and chief residency at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. She is a practicing physician and associate professor of Internal Medicine who has gained a reputation for helping fellow writers achieve medical accuracy in fiction. Her poetry and non-fiction have been published in JAMA, The Annals of Internal Medicine, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Great Weather for Media. She believes in science and knocking on wood, and currently lives in Omaha with her husband and three children.

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  Confronting Violence: What Providers Need to Know

  Kate Buehler, Bradley Ekwerekwu, Catherine Medici-Thiemann, and Tiffany Moore

  UNMC and Nebraska Medicine-affiliated experts speak about the resources and services available for responding to concerns around domestic violence.

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  Constructing the Modern Physician: Architecture, Science, Race and Gender in Early Twentieth-Century Medical Centers

  Katherine Carroll

  In the decades just before and after 1900, medical schools and their teaching hospitals were rebuilt throughout the United States. Dr. Carroll argues that these new, large structures celebrated the shifts underway in medical science, physicians’ training and physicians’ professional identity. To this end, educators and architects worked hard to include the local community in the construction process and to create attractive and inviting structures.

  At the same time, however, a close study of these facilities reveals the limits of educators’ and philanthropists’ visions. The school buildings encouraged hierarchies between physicians based on race and gender.

  Dr. Carroll will incorporate examples from the history of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in her lecture.

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  I Didn't See It Coming: Scenes of Love, Loss and Lewy Body Dementia

  Mary Lou Falcone

  Co-sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor and the Leon S. McGoogan Health Sciences Library, Mary Lou Falcone presented from her recent book, “I Didn't See It Coming: Scenes of Love, Loss and Lewy Body Dementia.”

  Mary Lou Falcone is an internationally known classical music publicist/strategist who for five decades has helped guide the careers of prominent artists and provided support for many institutions. Mary Lou has steered the careers of celebrated artists such as Van Cliburn, Gustavo Dudamel, Renée Fleming, Sir Georg Solti, and James Taylor. She also advised many institutions, including Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Vienna Philharmonic.

  Here, she combines her communication skills with her background as a performer and educator with being an advocate for Lewy body dementia (LBD) awareness.

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  Late of the 5th Northumberland Fusiliers: Dr. John H. Watson’s Invisible War.

  Monica Schmidt

  A licensed mental health counselor and Sherlock Holmes expert, Monica Schmidt explores the movement from mere literary fiction to a clinically accurate portrayal of a man struggling with what is now known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

  Everybody knows Sherlock Holmes: he’s an eccentric but incredibly clever London-based detective who, along with his friend Dr. John H. Watson, solves Victorian-era mysteries. But who is this Watson fellow? Depending upon the author or the actor, sometimes he’s portrayed as an adventurous man of action and in others he’s a befuddled “Boobus Britannicus,” so we’re never sure about him. Upon their initial meeting, Holmes deduces that Watson was an army doctor wounded in Afghanistan. What Holmes couldn’t have known was that Watson was a survivor of one of the deadliest battles of the 2^nd Afghan War and was struggling to find his footing after being invalided from the service.

  Since 2013, Ms. Schmidt has been a staple in the Sherlockian conference/lecture circuit, typically speaking about Sherlock Holmes and mental health. She received the investiture of “Julia Stoner” from The Baker Street Irregulars in 2019 and “The Church of St. Monica” from The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes in 2015. She practices near Iowa City, Iowa.

  View video clip shown at 13:09 mark of the presentation.

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  Meet the Curator: McGoogan's Newest Midwifery Rare Books

  Erin J. Torell

  Viewers will see and learn about medicine's evolution of understanding around the nature and science of birth. Be among the first to see the newest addition to the collection, "Theoretical and Practical Instructions for the Use of Students" by Marguerite Guillomance Coutanceau. This is one of two existing copies of this 19th-century French midwifery instruction book on the best practices of birth for the time.

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  Author Reading: Amy Haddad, PhD

  Amy Haddad

  Dr. Haddad read from her poetry collection, An Otherwise Healthy Woman.

  Dr. Haddad is a poet, nurse, and educator at Creighton University where she now holds the rank of Professor Emerita. Her poetry and short stories have been published in the American Journal of Nursing, Janus Head, Journal of Medical Humanities, Touch, Bellevue Literary Review, Pulse, Persimmon Tree, Annals of Internal Medicine, Aji Magazine, DASH, Oberon Poetry Magazine, and the anthologies Between the Heart Beats and Intensive Care: More Poetry and Prose by Nurses from University of Iowa Press, and Stories of Illness and Healing: Women Write Their Bodies from Kent State University Press. Her poetry chapbook, The Geography of Kitchens, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2021. The University of Nebraska Press is publishing her first poetry collection, An Otherwise Healthy Woman, in 2022. She is also an alumna of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Nursing.

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  A Survey of Medical Illustration of the Heart in the McGoogan Library Rare Book Collection

  Erin Torell

  The presentation examined changes in the understanding of human anatomy of the heart over the centuries though medical illustrations in rare books; showcased a variety of medical illustration techniques; and shared short biographies of the anatomists and artists who created the anatomy books.

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  Overview of Fetal Images From the McGoogan Library Rare Book Collection

  Erin J. Torell

  The recording is of a hybrid presentation over fetal images in rare books from the McGoogan Library for the College of Allied Health Professions on October 12, 2022. The presentation covers books from the 16th-19^th centuries; biographical information about the anatomists, creators, and artists; and a discussion about the artistic nature of the medical illustrations.

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  Why Health Sciences Students Need the Humanities

  Deirdre Cooper Owens

  This presentation touches on why humanities programs and education are necessary for students interested in health sciences: for instance, that the various humanities disciplines allow students to study the social, cultural, ethical and historical dimensions of how doctors, patients, and communities understand the lived experience of health and disease; that the humanities engender critical thinking and interdisciplinary approaches: and that subject covered in the humanities, such as aspects of history and race, and how that legacy of harm to underrepresented groups results in continued health disparities today, helps expand critical health science students critical thinking and compassionate learning.

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  C'RONA Comix Panel Discussion

  Judy Diamond, Bob Hall, Judi gaiashkibos, and St Patrick Reid

  In spring 2020, a multidisciplinary group, including artists and scientists, received funding from the Rapid Response Research Program of the National Science Foundation to develop comic books that would help youth understand the COVID-19 pandemic.

  The project built upon a decade of expertise in creating comics about the biology of viruses. In collaboration with virologists and artists, three comic stories about COVID-19 were developed during the pandemic and posted online during the last half of 2020.

  The fictional narratives address fundamental issues in biology, virology and network science in order to help readers understand the complexities of living through a viral pandemic. The stories focus on three themes: the biology and social context of the COVID-19 virus; the relationship of wild animals, particularly bats, to the pandemic; and the impact of the pandemic on Tribal communities.