This Is What Medicine Cannot Measure
A special presentation by Nebraska State Poet Jewel Rodgers
Date: Nov. 11, 2026
Time: Noon-1 p.m.
Location: MCPH 3013 or via Zoom
Nebraska State Poet Jewel Rodgers will join the UNMC community for a special presentation, “This Is What Medicine Cannot Measure.” Through her poetry, Jewel will explore how compassion and a sense of peace can be part of seeking and receiving care.
Jewel will speak about healing, humanity in our care, and the importance of ensuring that people feel valued and heard in their health care, education and daily lives.
A select amount of boxed lunches is available.
To attend the talk, register via Zoom.
Attend in person: MCPH 3013.
The 2025-2029 Nebraska State Poet, Jewel Rodgers has been a spoken-word poet for more than a decade, performing in schools, festivals, community settings, conferences, public events and other venues. Rodgers is an Omaha Entertainment and Arts Award winner for Best Performance Poet in Omaha and a three-time TEDx speaker.
She has received numerous accolades, including being named as a 2022 Union for Contemporary Art Fellow, a 2023 Andy Warhol Populus Fund Grantee, a 2024 finalist in the Blackberry Peach Poetry Slam, and a 2025 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow.
Through her State Poet initiative, Rodgers works to increase access to poetry and creative connection across Nebraska through performances, workshops, community conversations and literary exchanges.
Beyond poetry, Rodgers is a spatial practitioner and emerging developer focused on small-scale community development projects in Omaha, exploring how storytelling, public space and culture work together to deepen a sense of belonging.
This event is sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor, with McGoogan Health Sciences Library, the College of Public Health, Gold Humanism Honor Society and the Interprofessional Academy of Educators.