2023 Wallenberg Tribute Lecture Explores How the Arts Reflect the Ethics of Health Care
On November 5, Lorenzo Servitje will present his lecture “Culture as Infrastructure: Dracula, Zombies, and Contemporary Healthcare,” and the Wallenberg Tribute Dinner will honor the Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund for its community building and family support initiatives.By: Kristine Yahna Todaro Tuesday, October 17, 2023 11:30 AM
Lorenzo Servitje, associate professor of literature and medicine and the director of the health, medicine and society program at Lehigh University, will speak at this year’s Wallenberg Tribute Lecture on November 5.Lorenzo Servitje, associate professor of literature and medicine and the director of the health, medicine and society program at Lehigh University, is the featured guest speaker at this year’s Wallenberg Tribute Lecture on Sunday, November 5, at 3:30 p.m. in Moyer Hall's Miller Forum.
The lecture is free and open to the public, with no registration required. It is also available via livestream.
Every year since 1984, Muhlenberg’s Institute for Religious and Cultural Understanding has honored the legacy of Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who saved 100,000 Jews from deportation to death camps during World War II. The public lecture is followed by a reserved seating dinner honoring one or more individuals for their courageous moral action on behalf of others.
Servitje’s first monograph, Medicine is War: The Martial Metaphor in Victorian Literature and Culture, explores the metaphorical militarization of medicine during the Victorian era. More recently, Servitje’s research includes contemporary studies on public health and epidemiology. The work has included humanistic inquiry into antimicrobial resistance and the COVID-19 pandemic. Servitje’s background in cultural and literary studies and history continues to inform his research and teaching, providing a unique perspective in the field of health and medicine, bridging the gap between the biomedical sciences and the humanities. His teaching reflects a passion for integrating humanistic and scientific research into the field of health and medicine.
Following the lecture, the Wallenberg Tribute Dinner will take place at 5:00 p.m. in the Seegers Union Great Room. This year, the dinner will honor the Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund, created by Bill and Chris Hankee in memory of their daughter. The organization supports medical travel costs, educational grants and the promotion of organ and tissue donations.
Reservations for the Wallenberg Tribute Dinner are required, with tickets priced at $75. To reserve a spot, please contact the staff at [email protected] and 484-664-3470.
Event co-sponsors include Religious & Spiritual Life, Shankweiler Scholars, Media & Communication, Religion Studies, Jewish Studies, Film Studies, Public Health and Health Professions Advising.
About the Institute for Religious and Cultural Understanding
The Institute for Religious and Cultural Understanding works to cultivate awareness of religious and cultural diversity locally, domestically and internationally. The educational and research goals of the Institute serve two complementary objectives: to enhance religious and cultural literacy and to support reasoned analysis of religion in public discourse. The Institute reaches beyond the borders of campus to effect change in the local community and beyond through the cultivation of both a physical and virtual presence.
