Healthcare in the Arts

This course examines the integration of arts and cultural experiences within healthcare systems to advance patient care, staff resilience, and community trust. Students will explore historical, social, and policy foundations of arts in health—from WPA-era murals to contemporary interventions addressing chronic disease, social isolation, and structural inequities—while engaging with evidence-informed programming and evaluation methods. The curriculum highlights organizational strategies for embedding the arts systemwide, fostering positive institutional culture, and enhancing operational and economic outcomes in complex healthcare organizations. Experiential exercises, case studies, and field observations illuminate arts-based interventions across hospitals, correctional facilities, and community settings, including partnerships with leading cultural institutions. The course emphasizes how arts programming functions as a social determinant–informed intervention, integrating innovative referral pathways and social screenings to address social isolation, loneliness, and psychosocial needs in communities.