Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Theater Of Witness: The Patient Experience Of Dementia Shared Through Testimonial Performance, Salena Cui

Phase 1

Introduction: Dementia is a condition that modern medicine is ill-equipped to address, and to which art may have much to offer. This project combines reflective and creative processes in a theater collaboration between patients, caregivers, and healthcare students. The goal was to explore the ways in which theater can heal, and to better understand the patient experience of dementia.

Methods: I worked with Teya Sepinuck on this project. We met with participants individually to conduct interviews about personal stories and held group workshops to explore our collective story. We worked with a percussionist and composer to explore accompanying music. …

The Healing Power Of Live Music, Brianna Casey

Phase 1

Music has long been recognized for its ability to promote healing and wellbeing in patients across the entire spectrum of healthcare settings. Thanks to recent research into its therapeutic effects, music is now widely accepted as an established part of a holistic healthcare regime. However, more work needs to be done in defining the aspects inherent to music that make it such an effective agent of healing. Notably, little research has been done on whether live musical performance is more effective than recorded music in bringing about therapeutic benefits. The current project sought to explore the differential perceptions of and …

Medice, Cura Te Ipsum (Physician, Heal Thyself): A Documentary Film Exploring How The Passions Of Medical Students Will Make Them Better And Healthier Physicians, Ryan Emhoff

Phase 1

It is a well documented, yet largely ignored fact that physicians, residents and medical students are experiencing a pandemic of depression, burnout, dissatisfaction, and suicide. The principal cause may be the institution of medicine, which is slow to change, abusive, and dismissive of these complaints. While interventions are necessary at all levels of training, medical students may be the most in need as their mental health is the poorest of these groups.

Emotion-focused coping activities focus on alleviating stress. The humanities can function as emotion-focused coping activities, and exposure to them in medical education has been correlated with higher empathy …

“Who Am I Now?”: A Musical And Creative Case Study/Time Capsule, Alexander M. Olson

Phase 1

Background

Medical school is an immense undertaking, emotionally, intellectually, and physically. I heard it said that “medicine is the frontline seat to human condition, without the tools to process that...it becomes traumatic”. I entered this phase of my life with interests and passion outside of my professional aspirations, and I have found it a struggle to devote to them the energy and time that they deserve. I have chosen a project in the humanities track, focused on creating a musical time capsule of creative work.

Objective

To create a chronological record of my evolving musical tastes and influences that I …

De-Stigmatizing Mental Illness Through Graphic Medicine, Megumi Tsuda

Phase 1

Graphic medicine - or the communication of health-related narratives through images and texts, such as comics - has been increasingly recognized as a powerful educational tool. My project investigates the value of integrating graphic medicine to medical education, specifically to improve mental health literacy and de-stigmatize mental illness. As a medical student, I have encountered several instances where fellow medical students and even doctors casually throw around diagnostic terminology, especially those used to describe mental health disorders, in a colloquial and insensitive manner that seem to indicate that they do not take mental illness seriously, or even ignorant of what …

A Social Dance Intervention To Nourish Sustainable Quality Of Life Outlook In Geriatric Oncology Patients, Luis Alberto Aguilar Montalva

Phase 1

Importance: Social support is a major determinant of health for geriatric oncology patients. Nevertheless, no DMT program utilizes community building as an explicit focus of intervention.

Objective: To design a DMT that fosters a therapeutic approach which relies as much on the interpersonal relationships as on the intrapersonal journey. Design, setting, participants: 12 weeks observational trial of participants, from TJUH geriatric oncology patient population, as they progressed through two series of social dance workshops. The first series of six workshops happened on a weekly basis, with participants filling out a FACT-G survey pre and post involvement. The second series of …

The Sentiment, Alexander Thomas

Phase 1

The Sentiment is a work of prose poetry that crystallizes my understanding of fluid identity and the interrelation of all existences. It synthesizes my personal experiences with the words and actions of the many teachers who came before me, and serves as an existential reminder of the unique and universal nature of all things. This is a perception that has only grown through the writing of the work, and one which deeply affects my relationships with others. It is, in large part, my motivation for becoming a doctor. I see each suffering as my suffering, and each joy as my …