Rita Charon to Give Jefferson Lecture

The National Endowment for the Humanities announced Tuesday that Rita Charon (right), a pioneer in the field of narrative medicine, will deliver the 2018 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities. Being selected to give the lecture -- which this year will be Oct. 15 -- is considered the highest honor the federal government bestows in the humanities. Charon, a Harvard University-trained physician with a Ph.D. in English literature, is the founding chair and professor of medical humanities and ethics and professor of medicine at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.