The medical humanities major, housed in the philosophy department, was created to provide students from any discipline a humanistic approach to medicine—making it one of the few such programs in the West.

Survey responses from 547 U of Utah undergrads show feelings of powerlessness and frustration are most common reactions, but concerns about climate can also spur action.

For Crystal Lumpkins, professor of communication at the University of Utah and cancer communication researcher at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, the work is always—first and foremost--community-driven. And like many professionals with advanced degrees, from medical doctors to social scientists, she logged years of schooling to earn a doctorate and emerged burdened with debt.