Prof. Dr. med. Benno Brinkhaus & Dr. Edna Bonhomme (The Healing Arts)

Prof. Dr. med. Benno Brinkhaus is a specialist in internal medicine, additional qualification in naturopathy and acupuncture. He studied medicine in Vienna and Düsseldorf 1986-1993. Doctorate 1997. Habilitation 2007. Since 2009 university professor for naturopathy at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Deputy Director of the Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Head of the Project Area Complementary and Integrative Medicine and the university outpatient clinic for naturopathy at Charité Campus Mitte.
Dr. Edna Bonhomme is a historian of science, culture writer, and editor based in Berlin, Germany. She writes feature articles, creative nonfiction, and book reviews. Her writing has appeared in Al Jazeera, The Atlantic, The Baffler, Esquire, Frieze, The Guardian, The London Review of Books, The Nation, WIRED, and other publications. A graduate of Princeton University’s Ph.D. program in History of Science , she holds awards and fellowships from the Max Planck Institute for History of Science, the Ludwig Maximilian Universität, the Camargo Foundation, and the Baldwin for the Arts. Edna’s book, A History of the World in Six Plagues, is forthcoming.
Over the last two decades, research into the effects of the arts on health and well-being has
substantially increased. According to recent reports by the World Health Organization, the arts
play a crucial role in preventing ill health, promoting health, and managing and treating illness
throughout one's life. Engaging in artistic and creative practices such as singing, making music,
dancing, or enjoying art passively, such as visiting museums or concerts, can genuinely enhance
health and well-being.
In light of these findings, Prof. Lukas Feireiss has organized a series of discursive encounters at
Berlin University of the Arts in collaboration with the International Society for Arts and Medicine
and the Network Arts and Medicine at the Charité. The purpose of the series is to bring together
practitioners and researchers from the worlds of art and medicine and to further the positive
impact of the arts. The series aims to acknowledge and act upon the growing evidence base,
promote arts engagement at the individual, local, and national levels, and support cross-sectoral
collaboration.
The lecture series explores various questions across different disciplines and cultures. These
include questions such as: What exactly are healing arts, and what is the definition of healing?
How do we understand health and illness, and what is deemed in need of treatment? How are
these questions evaluated and examined in medicine and art? And what is the evidence on the
effectiveness of the arts in improving health and well-being?
The Healing Arts series aims to break down barriers and create alliances between different fields
of study. It is open to everyone, including students from arts, medicine, science, and other
disciplines, who are welcome to participate in discussions and learn together across universities.
Prof. Lukas Feireiss works as curator, author and educator in the international mediation of
contemporary cultural reflexivity beyond disciplinary boundaries. Feireiss is author and editor of
numerous books, and curator of manifold exhibitions. He has lectured and taught at various
universities worldwide. Since 2021 he has been piloting new formats for transdisciplinary artistic
education and project supervision at the Berlin.
For more information visit Thehealingarts.online & www.udk-berlin...
For reasons of privacy and data protection all images of the students are cut out of the public videos.