Jenell Johnson, Director

I am a Professor of Communication Arts whose research interests include the rhetoric of health and medicine, science and technology studies, disability studies, bioethics, and environmental communication. My research focuses on the circulation of scientific and medical information in the public sphere, with an emphasis on the social and political dimensions of nonexpert engagement with science, medicine, and technology. Much of my work has explored the meaning of neuroscience, psychiatry, and mental disability in scientific and cultural contexts. These interests are best illustrated by my book American Lobotomy, which explores how representations of psychosurgery shaped the rise, fall, and return of lobotomy in US medicine, and the co-edited collection The Neuroscientific Turn, a collection of essays from humanists and scientists reflecting on the growth of the neuro-disciplines. My newest book, Every Living Thing, examines how life itself is used to create ethical and political connections between humans and other living creatures—on Earth and beyond. To that end, my new line of research concerns public engagement with space science, particularly in the decade after the Apollo program. The Holtz Center has been one of my intellectual homes from the day I stepped foot on the UW-Madison campus in 2010. As someone from a humanities field who was often the only person in my department working on issues related to science and medicine, I found camaraderie with people in the Center who were asking similar kinds of questions. The Holtz Center is a unique place at UW-Madison, and as director, I hope to continue our work to create community and connections between faculty, staff, and students who are interested in how science, technology, and society shape each other.