<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Muse]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Muse]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 11:33:36 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.musemcmaster.ca/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Narrative Identity: The Kind of Life Story You Tell Matters]]></title><description><![CDATA["We are all storytellers. [...]. Yet not all stories are the same; some of them [...] have the power to shape who were, are, and will be."]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/narrative-identity-the-kind-of-life-story-you-tell-matters</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c1335ae0fc71dfcfdfb656</guid><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:44:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6746ff_34d9d87e44904fbd894014650d6fa034~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Sophia Wang</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Storytelling and Science: Interview with Dr. Katie Moisse on Science Communication in Healthcare]]></title><description><![CDATA[Professor profile: https://experts.mcmaster.ca/people/moissek Information: Dr. Katie Moisse is an Associate Professor at McMaster University who has conducted her PhD on neurodegenerative diseases such as ASL. Currently, she works in the field of science communication, an interdisciplinary field aiming to make science more clear and concise. She also teaches various courses at McMaster University related to the field.  Q: How did you get involved with Science Communication, from your previous...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/storytelling-and-science-interview-with-dr-katie-moisse-on-science-communication-in-healthcare</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c09b7e0160b7de3152a0bc</guid><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 01:48:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/af1039_e2f73c508ca549539e1b9ac9fe4f02ae~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_180,h_180,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Sang Yong Ko</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Love: can biology define it?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Musings on love, philosophy, and biology.]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/love-can-biology-define-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6998f0ccfc53c40638629445</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:52:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_fbf8e926402f464cbdf8994ba9d42732~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Sophia Wang</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ovid’'s Cures for Lovesickness: Roman Medicine]]></title><description><![CDATA[What does the poet Ovid, author of the Metamorphoses, say about lovesickness? Find out in this satirical guest post by an annonymouse Muse contributor!]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/roman-poet-ovid-s-cures-for-lovesickness</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69850b46224842e16d36b07f</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 21:29:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5cae13_3cbde14b63f944a983d58c355e677d02~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>The Muse</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Diasporic Guilt and the Limitations of Western Healthcare]]></title><description><![CDATA[A banquet of song and dance, Ibrahim Jabbar-Beik (1923-2002). 	There’s an unspoken guilt that has been looming over my family since the internal conflict began in Iran. My mother was one of the lucky people in her family that fled Iran before the oppressive powers became unbearable, and it is a source of pride for her. Leaving her third-world country to build a new, more accomplished life in Canada. She hasn’t spared me a day without reminding me of the sacrifices she made to provide a safe...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/diasporic-guilt-and-the-limitations-of-western-healthcare</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698508fc0b2d097f708e87b2</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 21:23:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2ef64b_aa682d9c1e9c4db2a4c2501d4540f131~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_634,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Julia Nichol</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Neuroscience of Nostalgia]]></title><description><![CDATA[fotoblend. Nostalgic photographs. Pixaby. 2022. The yearning for the past, even for a time that did not hold especially fond or significant memories, is very common, especially in an age where the present seems to be regularly in decline. Nostalgia is a complex emotion and has been consistently seen as a dysfunctional disorder, previously having been seen as a disease in the 18th and 19th centuries, a psychiatric disorder in the early 20th century, and a form of depression by the end of the...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/the-neuroscience-of-nostalgia</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697bf3292c80129225d4e381</guid><pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:59:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2ef64b_c710acb14be5478f86c1e1363ef504e4~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Julia Nichol</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Q+A and Interview with Matthew Nicholson on Interdisciplinary Health Geography]]></title><description><![CDATA[Matthew Nicholson is an MSc student at McMaster University studying health geography. His thesis investigates post-settlement health inequalities among immigrant sub-populations in Canada. By analyzing the StatsCan Canadian community health survey, he quantifies subjective health measures and investigates how social environments influence health.  Q: What would you say is the best part of working on this type of project, would you say? A: I think the best part about working in the field of...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/q-a-and-interview-with-matthew-nicholson-on-interdisciplinary-health-geography</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6978339e6b7a080e43d7d6d9</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2026 03:44:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/af1039_06270299dbc24b599e0b7e8fd3369e1b~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_400,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Sang Yong Ko</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Beneath the Snow: Addiction, Assimilation, and Structural Neglect]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pixaby. 2021.   	   Recently, I have noticed that under thick blankets of ice and snow, every house looks the same. From the outside, they appear in uniform, quiet, intact, untouched. Yet, inside many homes, there are those with a global history: stories of how they arrived, who they were before, and the pressures that shaped them. Within those walls live etched memories of sacrifice and survival. There is something vaguely sinister in the way society often speaks about minority and immigrant...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/beneath-the-snow-addiction-assimilation-and-structural-neglect</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69780913d87a588901638513</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2026 01:37:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6b3c9b_619e48e10f734ab2a7129363fd7e2e8e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>chandmurad123</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Journey, A Destination: Reflections from Dr. Gianni Parise ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Image Source: McMaster University  Biography: Dr. Gianni Parise is a researcher in the Department of Kinesiology, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Science, and the Vice President of Research at McMaster University. His health-related research has many different fields, including the effect of various factors on the aging of seniors. The research referenced throughout this article can be found at McKay et al (2015), with his more recent research available at his profile, linked here . The room...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/it-s-about-the-journey-not-the-destination</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6972a8fbaffc20191ac22cf0</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:50:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/af1039_d6e59e3ed89a439099ef4c03fc7b8155~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Sang Yong Ko</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Labour of Love: Caregiving and Identity in Chronic Illness]]></title><description><![CDATA[Author : Annika Nayyar Surprised, Anders Zorn (c. 1860-1920) “Where are the eyes of my childhood, those fearful eyes she had thirty years ago, the eyes that made me?” - Annie Ernaux (1) 	Staring into the empty eyes of her mother, author Annie Ernaux is forced to confront a loss before death—one shaped by Alzheimer’s. Her memoir, I Remain in Darkness , explores the devastating impact of dementia on not only her mother, but on herself and those around her. Through journal entries, Ernaux...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/a-labour-of-love-caregiving-and-identity-in-chronic-illness</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69690ca2059a56b31bdb0c1c</guid><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2026 17:44:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f2c356_1d0c88400c314a1282e2cd1deb51a7bd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_843,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Annika Nayyar</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Vaginismus: A Psychosomatic Expression of Cultural Stigma]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ayra Chaudhry cottonbro studio. Mother and Daughter Studying on the Bed. Pexels. 2021. Insert the plastic applicator and release. It sounded easy enough. Yet there I stood in my bathroom, attempting this menial task for what could’ve been thirty minutes or so. There was pain, so much pain. My body was rejecting this small plastic tube as if it was an unwanted foreign object. My muscle walls constrict without input, a fortified barrier. I blamed myself; I was probably just using a tampon...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/vaginismus-a-psychosomatic-expression-of-cultural-stigma</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696667a3cca849701e94dcfa</guid><pubDate>Tue, 13 Jan 2026 15:50:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8c896d_4a1b8e6ac7cf4cbc8e7b98394ae2fbc0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Ayra Chaudhry</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Memories into the Trash: A Tale of Grief, Snow, and Moving On]]></title><description><![CDATA[A creative piece on letting go, remembering, and what it means to step forward through a sea of grief.]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/memories-into-the-trash-a-tale-of-grief-snow-and-moving-on</link><guid isPermaLink="false">695e604c28f04d92c443d77e</guid><category><![CDATA[Prose]]></category><category><![CDATA[Poetry and Creative Work]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:46:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6746ff_34693bbc0cf04ab4bf2daea407d7ac0f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Sophia Wang</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Meaningful Life - Interview with Dr. Marla Beauchamp on Senior Healthcare and Interdisciplinary Approaches]]></title><description><![CDATA[An interview with Dr. Marla Beauchamp on aspiring to help seniors live longer, more meaningful lives.]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/a-meaningful-life-interview-with-dr-marla-beuahcamp-on-senior-healthcare-and-interdisciplinary-ap</link><guid isPermaLink="false">695c63317831e3f571048e4c</guid><pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2026 01:20:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/af1039_6d2493863cf14a02862b49321ebe6024~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Grace (“Ace”) Ko</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Cyborg Manifesto: Digital Health Technologies and Socialist Feminism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Author: Maxx Kaufman Book Cover: A Cyborg Manifesto , Donna Haraway                                                                       ...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/a-cyborg-manifesto-digital-health-technologies-and-socialist-feminism</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67e6f1b88ac71c7fa6c7268e</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2025 19:10:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8c3577_d011d391a8f241eebc93b65ba63e6d0e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_814,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Hassan Hassan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[On Love and After Hours: Exploring Medicine as a Site of Romance]]></title><description><![CDATA[Author: "Dr. House" Source: www.womenshealthmag.com/relationships A friend of mine once showed me a relationship chart, which described,...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/on-love-and-after-hours-exploring-medicine-as-a-site-of-romance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67c56501b89c8a50fa8abbc6</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Mar 2025 16:21:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/698bef_0f2e6d44a11a447894a8e6b2e25ea408~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Hassan Hassan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Physicalities of Grief]]></title><description><![CDATA[Author: Chand Murad Achilles Lamenting the Death of Patroclus, Gavin Hamilton (c. 1760-1763) A hollowness settles in your stomach,...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/the-physicalities-of-grief</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67b9ccf7bb65c92eab0975da</guid><pubDate>Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:18:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8c3577_36d17ac219434631bdf4d8ed9caa8a3a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_800,h_537,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Hassan Hassan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview with Dr. Bruce Newbold, Health Geography Researcher and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Science]]></title><description><![CDATA[Author: Grace Mi-Lian Ko https://mira.mcmaster.ca/our-faculty/bruce-newbold/ Dr. Bruce Newbold is the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Science at McMaster University, as well as a Professor at the School of Environment and Society. He is a member of the McMaster Institute on Aging, and his research involves the various intersections of health: Primarily around aging and the health of immigrants to Canada. He is also a Visiting Scholar at the University of Glasgow, and the University of...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/interview-with-dr-bruce-newbold-health-geography-researcher-and-associate-dean-of-the-faculty-of-s</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67a139e9e9a1a4c190b0663a</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Feb 2025 21:56:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8c3577_f678625e68314aed8b2d41fcb6513539~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Grace (“Ace”) Ko</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fighting the Self: Pro-Ana Culture and Its Illusion of Individualism ]]></title><description><![CDATA[TW: Eating Disorders 	Perfection, grace, beauty—society’s infatuation with these concepts is fatal to the future of our adolescents. Even...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/fighting-the-self-pro-ana-culture-and-its-illusion-of-individualism</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67474f3dd02d98dd5fe3ae7c</guid><pubDate>Wed, 27 Nov 2024 17:03:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8c3577_4a4efef5ce9f40fabc9c399ed06e1b8f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_700,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Chand Murad     </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Such a Lively Place," ”Imploding the Retirement Model]]></title><description><![CDATA[“My worst fear is growing old,” a friend says, and I can’t blame her. We are a group of nurses-in-training, doctors, with the occasional...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/such-a-lively-place-imploding-the-retirement-model</link><guid isPermaLink="false">673d1c8d3576f3688d2ef156</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Nov 2024 23:50:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8c3577_fae49f8dfc1a4990849e258a3df5747f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_800,h_663,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Grace (“Ace”) Ko</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Lookback at Naturopathic Medicine: Social Studies &#38; the Home Remedies We See Today ]]></title><description><![CDATA[I remember the summer when I was seven. I went to Croatia to stay with my Baka in her hometown, Malinska. One evening mid-sleeping, I...]]></description><link>https://www.musemcmaster.ca/post/a-lookback-at-naturopathic-medicine-social-studies-the-home-remedies-we-see-today</link><guid isPermaLink="false">660acc0f48ae4327b21339b7</guid><pubDate>Tue, 02 Apr 2024 12:00:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4c56ef_c168a69dfa9e4d8b89f9f90f362589f9~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_700,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Monique Cote</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>