Narrative Medicine

Catalog description

What does it mean to experience illness? What emotions are felt when a student meets their first patient in anatomy lab, silently waiting and seemingly voiceless? Narrative medicine is an interdisciplinary field that explores these questions and challenges disparities in health care by allowing participants (students, patients, providers) to give voice to their experiences, be heard, and valued. The field is steadily growing, featuring the works of such doctor-authors as Atul Gawande, MD, Danielle Ofri, MD, and Paul Kalanithi, MD. This course serves as a primer, giving foundational tools and a space for students to engage with narrative medicine and more fully own their academic and clinical experiences.