Who are we?
Synapsis: A Health Humanities Journal was founded in 2017 by Arden Hegele, a literary scholar, and Rishi Goyal, a physician. Our mission is to develop conversations among diverse people thinking about medical and humanistic ways of knowing, and we see ourselves as a “Department Without Walls” that connects scholars and thinkers from different spheres. We are grateful for the support of the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society and the Society of Fellows/Heyman Center for the Humanities at Columbia University.
Synapsis is a diamond open access publication (we do not charge authors or readers). All our essays are archived and searchable in Academic Commons at Columbia University Libraries.
What topics do we cover?
Anything that connects medicine with the humanities—critical reading, looking, listening. Our interests are wide ranging: historical précis, new takes on books, investigations into cognition and imagination, and, of course, medical practice.
Who writes for us?
Anyone with expertise and a fresh perspective, from professors and graduate students to emergency physicians. We are based in New York City, but our writers are located around the world.
How can I get involved?
You can apply to be an ongoing contributor! Our recruitment of writers for the coming academic year will close on 31 August 2025.