The Program for Narrative Medicine and Health Humanities

Introduction

The Program for Narrative Medicine and Health Care Humanities resides within the Department of Bioethics and Medical Humanism at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. Founded in 2015, the Program brings together health care humanities programs with an emphasis in narrative perspectives.

Narrative, from the Latin verb narrare, "to tell." is found in all forms of human creativity, art and across intellectual disciplines, including narrative psychology and narrative ethics.

The field of Narrative Medicine was founded by Dr. Rita Charon at Columbia University.

"The care of the sick unfolds in stories. The effective practice of health care requires the ability to recognize, absorb, interpret and act on the stories and plights of others. Medicine practiced with narrative competence is a model for humane and effective medical practice. It addresses the need of patients and caregivers to voice their experience, to be heard and to be valued, and it acknowledges the power of narrative to change the way care is given and received." — Columbia University Master of Science in Narrative Medicine

Mission

The program endeavors to:

• Educate to empower and to raise awareness regarding the values of medical humanism in patient care, as well as provide evidence-based techniques for integration in current and future practice.
• Promote compassionate clinical care and value for the patient’s story through narrative medicine methods.
• Create a community around shared values to enhance meaning in medicine and resiliency in healers.
• Support Scholarship; demonstrate efficacy for Narrative Medicine practices, as well as the value of Medical Humanities to patient-centered care.

Medical Student Opportunities:

• Certificate of Distinction in Health Humanities, with and emphasis on Narrative Medicine.
• Mentored research/scholarly projects in Narrative Medicine.
• Narrative Medicine patient experiences through Capstones Course and seminars.
• Student editor positions with our humanities and arts journal, ChArt, and "Stories in Medicine" blog.
• Narrative and Diversity Book Club.
• Film and Medicine Series, with community liaison opportunities.
• Many more!

Jennifer Hartmark-Hill, MD Director, Program for Narrative Medicine and Health Care Humanities 602-827-2110 @email