Title: Professor Emerita
University: Louisiana State University
Email: bheiffe@gmail.com
Twitter: @bheiffe
Description of your work
I’m a former cardio-pulmonary technologist whose first career was in a state-of-the-art diagnostic center next to the emergency dept. I spent most of a decade in an open-heart suite, catheterization lab, and ICU working on patients. My second career combined my work in medicine and rhetoric/writing. As a PHD student, my dissertation centered on hospital language from the 1700’s to then current time. My books include the first anthology in med rhet and a book about writing in the health professions. Others include a biography, and two books on general writing and rhetoric. I’ve published articles on a number of topics; I’m strongly drawn toward how disease affects culture. Current finished manuscript (almost finished) is on the 1721-22 smallpox inoculation in Boston. My next project is on leprosy. As a recent retired professor (graduated my last four PHD students in 2017 and 2018), I’m enjoying a little bit more time for research and writing. I missed teaching right away, so I taught a continuing ed course on something I knew nothing about but wanted to explore: mass incarceration and the new Jim Crow. I’ve very much enjoyed getting together with medrhetors over the years; it’s a warm, friendly, and brilliant group of colleagues. I hope to continue to do so.