Peter Sowerby Foundation endows unique Chair of Philosophy and Medicine at King's
King’s College London has received a major endowment from the Peter Sowerby Foundation to establish the first Chair in Philosophy and Medicine with the purpose of building on the University’s groundbreaking work on the relationship between philosophy and medicine.
Professor MM McCabe of the Department of Philosophy at King’s said:
‘We are delighted that the Peter Sowerby Foundation has made this extraordinary philanthropic donation.
Medical professionals encounter daily the subjective experience of their patients and reflect deeply on it; yet their training tends only to focus on the causes and treatments of illness. Philosophers, on the other hand, are normally more concerned with abstract than practical issues. But both philosophers and medical professional are concerned with some of the same profound issues: life, health, death, identity, the nature of value. So there is a great deal to be gained from ensuring that these two disciplines engage with each other.'
The Peter Sowerby Chair in Philosophy and Medicine will develop a programme of teaching and research to go beyond the traditional boundaries of medical discipline and practice in an attempt to understand the wider cultural and philosophical questions relating to health.
Dr Sowerby, a King’s alumnus [Medicine, 1950] said:
‘As a GP I have long been fascinated by the potential for philosophy to inform medical practice. I am delighted to support this new initiative, particularly given that I studied medicine at Guy’s Hospital.’
The Chair in Philosophy and Medicine will undertake research, teaching and public engagement activities in the area of medicine and philosophy. Some of the research areas to be explored will be: the nature of health, the nature of death, the nature of the body and the mind, evidence-based medicine and the role of the physician.
The Chair will contribute to the Department of Philosophy’s teaching programme and specifically modules on four taught programmes: the Intercalated BSc in Philosophy and Basic Medical Sciences, the MSc programme in the Philosophy of Mental Disorder, the MA in Philosophy and Medicine and the MSc Medical Humanities based in the Centre for Humanities & Health.
The Chair will also participate in a vibrant events programme including accessible public lectures on current topics of general interest, workshops and seminars for health professionals on issues of clinical importance and policy discussions, offering a unique perspective on the ‘patient voice’.
King's and the Medical Humanities
King's is one of the best-placed institutions in the world to develop the field of philosophy and medicine. Its School of Biomedical Sciences represents one of the largest and strongest concentrations of biomedical research and teaching in Europe and its School of Arts & Humanities is renowned internationally for its scholarship and innovation, ranking 28th in The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2012-2013.
The Chair will build on these strengths and on the growing cross disciplinary culture in this emergent academic area at King’s.