[GOAL] Question for the GOAL Community

[Michael Schwartz]

I have a question for the GOAL community.

I'm Michael Schwartz, and I recently have been given an opportunity to lead
a new Regional Department of Humanities in Medicine at a relatively new,
regional medical school "in the heart of Texas" (Texas A&M Health Science
Center College of Medicine, Round Rock).
http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/campuses/rr/index.html and
http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/campuses/rr/chairs.html . We are growing rapidly
along with Central Texas, USA.

Some of you recall me as Editor for several years of the open access journal
"Philosophy, Ethics and Humanities in Medicine".  www.peh-med.com	

At this point, I've a question for this on-line community.

At least among my peers - locally and professionally, there is continuing,
perhaps even growing interest, but also skepticism -- about open access) in
its various formats. More advocacy, discussion and information is needed. 

I'm in the process of starting a blog for my our program - it will be called
www.humanitiesinmedicine.org and it is not quite ready for launching - will
be soon.  We intend to focus on medically-related topics around which people
of good hearts and minds can and do disagree - sometimes strenuously... Our
hope is that vigorous discussion within a framework of tolerance and mutual
respect can move the conversation along... (We call this conversation a
"pluralogue" - or "polylogue."  We follow here, with frameworks outlined by
Peter Berger in his book "In Praise of Doubt: How to Have Convictions
without Becoming a Fanatic"; Karl Jaspers (psychiatrist and philosopher),
Helen Longino, and others..)

Is anyone in GOAL interested in joining with us and blogging on our upcoming
website about open access?  Or do you know someone who might be so
interested?

Best,

Michael

Michael Schwartz, M.D.
Regional Chair, Department of Humanities in Medicine at Texas A&M HSC, Round
Rock
Clinical Professor of Humanities in Medicine
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
schwartz at medicine.tamhsc.edu