Biography

Education and Training

Awards & Honors 

Graduate Fellow for Teaching Excellence, Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Pennsylvania 2011-2012; The Joan Cahalin Robinson Prize, Society for the History of Technology -2013; Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching by Affiliated Faculty - 2018 

About Me

Dr. Crnic is a historian of medicine and bioethicist who earned her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in History and Sociology of Science. She is a passionate educator and has taught courses in bioethics, the history of medicine, science, public health, and environments and societies. She believes that understanding history not only contextualizes contemporary knowledge, it also widens our apertures and allows us to see new possibilities and alternative paths.

Her research analyzes the intersection of place, human health, and well-being.  Her book, The Beach Cure: A History of Healing on Northeastern Shores (UW Press, 2025) uncovers the transformation of America’s seashores from health resorts to common vacation destinations.  She also leads interdisciplinary teams that study how we can enhance medical training to advance humanistic principles and practices.

Dr. Crnic was thrilled to join the Center for Humanism in 2023, where she now serves as the Associate Director. In addition, she is the Director of the Bioethics concentration, teaches several selectives, and mentors qualitative and mixed-methods Capstone projects.

When not at work, she loves cheering for Philly sports teams with her family, tinkering in her garden, finding new restaurants to try, and traveling to National Parks and hiking whenever possible.