Where Are They Now? A Survey of Health Humanities Program Graduates

Abstract

Abstract While health humanities baccalaureate and graduate programs have been increasing in recent years, little is known about the further education and career paths of program graduates or how a health humanities education may equip them for future endeavors. This information is key to supporting continued programmatic growth in health humanities. This study presents the results of a health humanities alumni survey developed by a research group within the Health Humanities Consortium’s Curriculum and Assessment Committee (CAC). This study seeks to answer two research aims: (1) what value do graduates of health humanities programs find in their learning for their careers and personal lives and (2) do the knowledge, skills, and values that alumni attribute to their health humanities education align with the five overarching themes (i.e., Interdisciplinarity, Internal Inquiry, External Examination, Praxis, and Transformative Education) that health humanities educators identified as desirable in a high-quality health humanities program as discovered in a North American focus group study (Klugman et al. 2026). The survey asked graduates of health humanities educational programs in the baccalaureate, graduate, and health professions levels about their post-health humanities education and employment paths and perceptions of the value and impact of their health humanities education. The 228 North American alumni-respondents were graduates of health humanities majors, minors, certificates, masters, doctorates, fellowships, pathways, and concentrations in health professions training programs. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of self-responses illustrate how health humanities educational programs contribute to students’ personal growth and professional success. Nearly two-thirds of health humanities graduates self-report working in health care. Respondents reported that a health humanities degree made them strong applicants for further education and was relevant to their jobs. Further, alumni’s self-reported educational gains generally align with the five themes emerging from educator focus groups. This survey demonstrates that graduates of health humanities programs find value from their health humanities education that aligns with the knowledge, skills, and values health humanities educators aim to impart.