Book Launch: “Invisible Illness” by Professor Emily Mendenhall
Monday, Jan 12, 2026 | 4:00pm – 5:30pm EST | Mortara Center for International Studies
Join us for the launch of Professor Emily Mendenhall’s latest work, Invisible Illness: A History, from Hysteria to Long Covid. The book recounts a moving cultural history of disability—and makes a powerful call to action to change how our medical system and society supports those with complex chronic conditions.
About the event: Professor Mendenhall will be joined by Dr. Amy Kenny (Director, Disability Cultural Center), Dr. Lakshmi Krishnan (Assistant Professor and Director of Medical Humanities), and Dr. Libbie Rifkin (Teaching Professor and Associate Director of the Disability Studies Program) for an in-depth conversation of the topics discussed in the book.
About the book: From lupus to Lyme, invisible illness is often dismissed by everyone but the sufferers. Why does the medical establishment continually insist that, when symptoms are hard to explain, they are probably just in your head? Inspired by her work with long Covid patients, medical anthropologist Emily Mendenhall traces the story of complex chronic conditions from hysteria to long Covid to show why both research and practice fail so many. Mendenhall points out disconnects between the reality of chronic disease—which typically involves multiple intersecting problems resulting in unique, individualized illness—and the assumptions of medical providers, who behave as though illnesses have uniform effects for everyone. And while invisible illnesses have historically been associated with white middle-class women, being believed that you are sick is even more difficult when you’re Black, trans, poor, young, disabled, or undocumented. Weaving together cultural history with intimate interviews, Invisible Illness lifts up the experiences of those living with complex illness to expose the failures of the American healthcare system—and how we can do better.
This event is sponsored by the Mortara Center; the Medical Humanities Initiative; Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA); Disability Culture Center; and the Program in Disability Studies.