Nebraska State Poet Jewel Rodgers will join the UNMC community Nov. 11 for a special presentation, “This Is What Medicine Cannot Measure.”
Through her poetry, Rodgers will explore how compassion and a sense of peace can be part of seeking and receiving care. She will speak about healing, humanity in care and the importance of ensuring that people feel valued and heard in their health care, education and daily lives.
The event, scheduled from noon to 1 p.m., is open to attend in person in the Maurer Center for Public Health, Room 3013, or online. To attend the talk online, register via Zoom. Boxed lunches will available at the in-person event while supplies last.
The event is sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor, with McGoogan Health Sciences Library, the UNMC College of Public Health, Gold Humanism Honor Society and the Interprofessional Academy of Educators.
The 2025-2029 Nebraska state poet, Rodgers has been a spoken-word poet for more than a decade, performing in schools, festivals, community settings, conferences, public events and other venues. She is an Omaha Entertainment and Arts Award winner for Best Performance Poet in Omaha and a three-time TEDx speaker.
Rodgers has received numerous accolades, including being named 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 an 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.