h2cm: what's in a name? enquiry to Barbara Rylko-Bauer

In October 2006 I exchanged e-mails with Barbara Rylko-Bauer who is Adjunct Associate Professor at Michigan State University; a medical anthropologist interested in health disparities, violence, human rights, and applied anthropology. Back then Barbara had questioned the use of the term 'career' in the title of Hodges' model.

Now with the website - purposes/audiences/content/strategy - review in mind I contacted her again - our correspondence edited for space and context is copied below.

On the website and W2tQ there is a post that references Hughes and the life chances meaning of career. I think Barbara's points about a subtitle, heuristics, synthesis, the knowledge (care) domain labels, e.g. sociology, h2cm as a pathway and other thoughts must certainly influence future developments: see what you think: ...

From: Barbara Rylko-Bauer
Sent: Thursday, 27 December, 2007 11:37:54 PM
Subject: Re: Hodges model (Serres-Hodges paper and PiH)

... I went back and looked at Hodges' model to refresh my memory...and I think that what struck me most was that it serves as both a conceptual tool that encourages a more holistic way of thinking about health and health care, and a heuristic tool that provides links to many different sources, some obviously about health, others less so but still relevant.

So, I'd first ask if there is a way of conveying that across in the title. You might need a subtitle: A tool for holistic approaches to health and health care.

I'd also suggest that your domains could be expanded to reflect better the broad spans of information they cover: so social or social/cultural (rather than sociology) and political-economic rather than just political. Just a thought.

As for the title, in skimming your explanations of "career" I think that a phrase that conveys the broadness of this concept, that it is all-encompassing rather than focusing on "career" in the conventional sense (although clearly the model evolved out of thinking about training of nurses). For example: human-health career and care domains -- one could use "patient" and yet, health and health care goes well beyond concerns of humans who happen to be patients.

Don't know if this helps....but it's nice to reconnect with you.

Thanks and best wishes,
Barbara
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On Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:00:30 +0000 (GMT) Peter Jones writes:

Goodness - I had one good idea today and that was to e-mail you! That's really useful, thanks so much.

Would you mind if I share your thoughts in a blog post and if so could you please provide a some details of your background? You've certainly given me something to think about.

All the best Barbara for the new year and many thanks again.

Peter
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From: Barbara Rylko-Bauer
Sent: Tuesday, 1 January, 2008 2:33:45 PM
Subject: Re: Hodges model (Serres-Hodges paper)

Dear Peter:

Happy New Year!

Tx for sending me your chapter.... I was not able to open it but did skim what you attached in the e-mail, and it reinforces my sense that you should try and find a way of presenting the model as a tool for both finding and for synthesizing information on health and health care. I don't think that this is clear just from looking at the title of the model as it now stands or from the way it is imaged. It's really a pathway more than a model...does that make sense?

Go ahead and post my comments. I would prefer that my email address not get posted, just because I'm already swamped and would hate to get emails from people that I could not properly respond to (seems rude).

Good luck with this!

Best wishes,
Barbara

If you also have any thoughts on this please get in touch....