Baylor University Establishes Medical Humanities Chair

Baylor University announced a $2 million gift from Scott and Susan Orr of The Woodlands, Texas, establishing the Scott & Susan Orr Family Endowed Chair in Medical Humanities & Christian Faith to support teaching, mentorship and innovative research in the Medical Humanities Program within the College of Arts & Sciences.

The Orr Family Chair will be housed within the Medical Humanities Program, one of the few of its kind in the country for students who aspire to careers in healthcare and other affiliated professions. The program is intended to pair foundational science curriculum with courses in history, literature, Christian philosophy and other disciplines to inspire deep discussion and critical thinking, providing a holistic, interdisciplinary approach for many pre-health students. The Orr Family Chair will support the program’s Christian identity by fostering an appreciation with students of the importance of the doctor-patient relationship, the spiritual and emotional dimensions of disease and a heightened awareness of the human experience of illness.