About
Welcome to my website! My name is Ruben Verwaal (*1986) and I’m a curator and historian.
Biography
Since 2018 I work as curator of the medical collections at Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, and in 2019 I joined the Institute for Medical Humanities, Durham, to conduct my NWO Rubicon postdoc on deafness and hearing difference in early modern Europe.
I studied Liberal Arts and Sciences at University College Utrecht and National University of Singapore, followed by an MA in History and Philosophy of Science at Utrecht and Xiamen, China. Since graduating in 2010, I’ve worked at the universities of Utrecht and Groningen, and at various museums, including the University Museum and Dutch Railway Museum in Utrecht, and Sound and Vision, The Hague.
Public Engagement
My ambition is for my research to influence the wider conversation and public perception about health and disability. To this end I write popular science articles and I curate exhibitions to highlight medical heritage objects and promote medical humanities perspectives. I’m fortunate that my research has received extensive media coverage.
I consider actively engaging with interest groups and partners outside academia to be crucial. My study of deafness requires that I work collaboratively with those who experience hearing difference. In 2020, therefore, I started an Expert Group with experts-by-experience, educators, allies, and foundation representatives to consult my research and to co-create exhibition the Yo, Doc, Listen Up!
Contact
ruben.e.verwaal [at] durham.ac.uk