Brian Hurwitz, professor of primary health care and general practice at Imperial College, London, has been appointed professor of medicine and the arts at King's College London, based in the English department.
Professor Hurwitz, who spent six months studying at a London mime centre after qualifying as a doctor, intends to set up affiliation at King's for a troupe of actors teaching consultation skills to medics in London.
He said: "My work in the field of narrative studies seeks to link the work of novelists and literary scholars with the ailments and contemporary concerns of patients. This position will generate exciting collaborations that inquire into medicine, the arts and the influence of artistic representations upon medical practice and delivery of health care."