Join us for an extraordinary evening exploring the intersection of literature, medicine, and the human experience of displacement as part of the distinguished lecture series "Exile Studies at 15: Past and Prologue." This compelling program examines how narrative medicine offers healing pathways for those who have experienced exile, trauma, and cultural displacement.

Distinguished Panel

Gail Tsukiyama, Acclaimed Author

Born in San Francisco to a Chinese mother from Hong Kong and a Japanese father from Hawaii, Gail Tsukiyama brings a deeply personal understanding of cultural identity and displacement to her work. The author of nine novels including Women of the Silk, The Samurai's Garden, The Color of Air, and her latest, The Brightest Star, Tsukiyama has received numerous accolades including the Academy of American Poets Award, the PEN/Oakland Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence, and the Asia Pacific Leadership Award. Selected as one of fifty authors by the Library of Congress to participate in the first National Book Festival in Washington D.C., she has been a featured speaker at international literary festivals across Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, England, and Toronto.

Gregory Schneider, MD, Professor of Medical Education

A family physician by training with a distinguished background in philosophy and the humanities, Dr. Schneider currently serves as Associate Dean for Curriculum and Medical Education at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at FIU. His unique academic journey spans ten years teaching literature and philosophy at a liberal arts college and over ten years on faculty at three different medical schools. Dr. Schneider has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles, several book chapters, and an edited volume on innovative approaches to medical education, specializing in medical ethics, clinical medicine, and the social and economic factors associated with health.

Eugenio Rothe, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Public Health

Dr. Rothe is a Professor of Psychiatry and Founding Faculty Member of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University. A Distinguished Life Fellow of both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, he is also a Psychoanalytic Fellow of the American Academy of Psychodynamic Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis and board certified in Forensic Psychiatry. Dr. Rothe has written extensively about mental health issues affecting immigrants, refugees, and patients from diverse cultural backgrounds, with particular expertise in psychological trauma within these populations. His groundbreaking work has earned him several national awards, including the Simon Bolivar Award and the Agnes Purcell McGavin Award from the American Psychiatric Association.

Program Details

Host: Dr. James Sutton, Director, Exile Studies Program, Department of English

Opening Remarks: Dr. Shawn Christian, English Department Chairperson

Presented by: English Graduate Organization in collaboration with The Betsy-South Beach Hotel

This thought-provoking evening will examine how storytelling serves as both refuge and healing mechanism for individuals navigating the complex terrain of exile and displacement. Through the lens of narrative medicine, our distinguished panelists will explore how literature and clinical practice intersect to offer hope, understanding, and therapeutic pathways for those whose lives have been shaped by migration, trauma, and cultural transition. The event is part of FIU's Exile Studies Program 2025-2026 series celebrating fifteen years of groundbreaking interdisciplinary scholarship. This unique program continues to lead academic discourse on displacement, identity, and the human condition in our increasingly interconnected world.

This event is funded by SGA and open to all students and the public.

For more information: Contact Dr. James Sutton, Director of the Exile Studies Program, at (305) 348-1270