February Narrative Medicine Rounds with Rachel E. Gross

"Vagina Obscura: A Scientific Journey Into the Female Body," 

a talk with Rachel E. Gross

For our first Rounds of the spring semester we are thrilled to welcome Rachel E. Gross, award winning science journalist and author of Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage, published by W.W. Norton & Co. in 2022. Rachel will speak to us about her book, in which she "takes on a herculean task," according to The New York Times,' "exploring female anatomy from a medical, social and historical perspective... [She takes] readers on an expansive journey across continents, cultures, centuries and even species, revealing a stunning disparity in Western medicine and academia: While huge amounts of money and dedication are poured into the understanding of penises, the female body is disregarded. Like lore, this misinformation and shame are still being passed down to girls today." 

In her journalism, Rachel covers the debates and personalities that shape scientific knowledge, most recently as Digital Science Editor for Smithsonian Magazine. In 2016 she launched a special series at Smithsonian to uncover the stories of women scientists who were written out of history.

This event will be supported by live captioning.