ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM
Where Health Meets Humanities
The Canadian Museum of Health Care's Annual Symposium brings together academics, healthcare professionals, educators, students, writers, and museum workers to explore the intersection of health, the humanities, and cultural heritage.
Held each spring in Kingston in partnership with Queen's University, the symposium creates a unique space for interdisciplinary dialogue — one where objects, stories, and ideas from our collections spark new ways of teaching, learning, and healing.
2026 Symposium — Teaching and Learning with Cultural Heritage: The Things of Health and Care
On March 12, 2026, the Canadian Museum of Health Care hosted the second annual health humanities symposium at the George Teves Room, University Club, with a closing reception at the museum. The day asked a deceptively simple question: what is a thing? Must it be an object, or can a thing be a practice, a belief, a body of knowledge?
Spanning six panels featuring speakers from institutions across Canada and beyond, the symposium examined medical artifacts, protein science and harm, popular culture in medical education, rare collections, witness work, and questions of cultural and epistemic justice in health. Each panel opened with an artifact from the Canadian Museum of Health Care's collection, grounding every conversation in the tangible heritage of health and care.
Stay Tuned for 2027 Symposium
The third annual Teaching and Learning with Cultural Heritage Symposium is in the works.
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