The Human Touch 2023 is published!

Welcome to The Human Touch 2023—the annual anthology of original prose, poetry, graphic arts, photography, music, and video created and contributed by the students, staff, faculty, alumni, and friends of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

This 16th volume is a celebration and showcase of the amazing talents and unique perspectives of our contributors, and we appreciate their support of and involvement in another stunning compilation of work.  This is our third exclusively digital publication, and while we feel the loss of holding and sharing an actual book with you, going digital has allowed us to include more images as well as audio and video files, and it allows you, dear reader, to access and share them with just a few clicks. 

Behind all of the evocative words and compelling images of this volume is the commitment and creativity of our editors and board members. From inviting submissions to devising timelines to reviewing materials to working with graphic artists to endless proofreading, they devote many hours to producing this volume, and they do all of this in addition to schedules packed with class meetings, study sessions, high-stakes exams, residency interviews, internship duties, and full-time jobs! We are deeply grateful for their dedication and energy.

One of the biggest challenges of any literary and arts magazine is securing the necessary funding for the enterprise, no matter how big or small. We are extremely fortunate and especially thankful for the financial support of Dr. Jeff Hill, an alumnus of the School of Medicine, and his wife, Molly Hill.  Their “gift” enables us to create what we hope is and will continue to be our “gift” to the community of the Anschutz Medical Campus: a beautifully rendered and emotionally powerful representation of the artistry and the diversity of our colleagues and friends.

We are, as always, proud that this volume originates from the Arts and Humanities in Healthcare Program at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities. The program’s mission is to realize the universal appeal of the arts and humanities and their power to connect student and teacher, patient and professional, citizen and artist, benefactor and institution. The Human Touch serves as a realization of such connections.  When I joined the Center faculty in 2009 with institutional and financial support to design and build such a program, there were already people and projects in place to welcome me and ensure our success.  One was the renowned and beloved late Dr. Henry Claman.  The Human Touch was his brainchild, and it is with deep gratitude to him, to the many student editors, reviewers, staff members, and contributors that I now retire, humbling passing along Dr. Claman’s legacy to another caretaker.

Finally, on behalf of the editorial board, I want to thank and congratulate our 2023 Editors-in-Chief:  Allison Dubner, PhD Candidate, Integrated Physiology Program and Caroline Smith, Class of 2025, School of Medicine.   

Therese (Tess) Jones, PhD

Read The Human Touch 2023.

Read the article by Greg Glasgow about The Human Touch in School of Medicine NEWS. 

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact THT@cuanschutz.edu
Allison M. Dubner & Caroline Smith; Editors-in-Chief