Medical Humanities Commons^™

Diastole, Charlaine Chen

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Diastole is the space between heartbeats. It is in this space that the heart actively rests, refills. These periods of relaxation are what allow the next heartbeat to occur. A heart without diastole is in heart failure. In medical training, we are raised on the myth that constant effort equals devotion, that rest is a luxury. A sense of guilt riddles me when I take a sick day, or when I feel I am not doing enough, fast enough. This work is a meditation on the nature of rhythm, and the rhythm of nature. These quiet spaces are not signs …

Between Rounds And Resolve, Faizan Sheraz

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

“Between Rounds and Resolve” is a narrative poem chronicling the introspective journey of an internist transitioning toward a subspecialty in gastroenterology. Through poetic reflection, the piece captures the emotional cadence of clinical rounds, the quiet resilience forged in patient care, and the evolving sense of purpose that guides a physician toward deeper specialization. This work explores themes of identity, transformation, and professional growth, offering a humanistic lens on the road less traveled within medicine. It aims to resonate with readers, navigating their own paths of change, reaffirming the value of reflection and resolve in shaping a meaningful career in health …

The Distinguished Humanitarian Society, Ashley Charales, Grace Desrochers, Lakshmi Tatineni, Shane Jenks, Rajeev Raghavan

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

The Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) is a nationally recognized organization present at over 80% of medical schools in the United States to promote humanism, integrity, and volunteerism among students. There is no equivalent national honor society present at the majority of Graduate Medical Education (GME) training programs.

Methods

Our institution created the Distinguished Humanitarian Society (DHS) as a local honor society in 2022 to recognize trainees who exemplified the ideals espoused by GHHS. In January and February 2025, we conducted semi-structured interviews to extract themes regarding inductees’ experiences with the DHS. Both interviewers used the same list of …

Facing Dissection, Aya E. Cannon

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

The summer prior to beginning medical school, our anatomy professor prompted us to reflect on the experience of dissection and create an image based on our thoughts and feelings. I was thrilled by the assignment and immediately began listing my emotions. Excitement: For so long, I had worked toward this point, and now the quintessential medical school experience was within reach. I expressed my appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the human body through color and collage, using the vibrant layers to reflect the awe and range of emotions I felt. Nervousness: Despite my enthusiasm, I was faced with …

Rainflakes, Ripples, And The Moonlit Ocean, Saptarshi Biswas

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Raindrops, ripples, and a moonlit sky evoke not just poetic imagery but also profound physiological and psychological responses from deep inside. In a kaleidoscope of colors, rain flakes spiral down like whispers from the cosmos, each droplet a tiny universe reflecting the dreams of wandering souls. They dance upon the surface of puddles, sending ripples that shimmer like liquid silver, weaving a tapestry of sound that resonates with the heartbeat of the earth. As moonlight drips softly from the sky, each moondrop creates a symphony of luminescent echoes, cascading through the air like stardust, inviting us to lose ourselves in …

Lewy Glacier, João Guilherme Bochnia Küster

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

This poem explores the complex intersection of memory, identity and the challenges imposed by Lewy body dementia, using the metaphor of a lost expedition traversing an isolated icy landscape. A profound sense of solitude reflects the disconnection that accompanies the dementia and tremors that follow, while also highlighting the danger of memory loss with mythological sirens representing its perilous allure (with some inspiration from The Odyssey). Through vivid imagery and lyrical language, it delves into the complexities of cognitive decline, providing an artistic reflection on dementia and offering a unique view of the emotional landscape of those affected by …

Capacity Over Cognition: A Case Of High-Risk Disease And Homelessness, Mikalah E. Maury, Avery M. Duncan, Rebecca A. Taylor, Mary Ann Beil, Maulikkumar A. Patel

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Medical decision-making in indigent patients with baseline cognitive deficits and lack of supportive resources is a difficult problem that reveals many ethical issues. Performing high-level medical procedures (eg, invasive surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy) on these patients without supportive resources brings into question the efficacy and necessity of treatment if it places the patient at higher risk of additional complications and mortality.

Case Presentation

In this article, we present a case of a 62-year-old indigent man with a long history of encephalopathy secondary to alcohol abuse, presenting with an aggressive head and neck cancer impacting his quality of life.

Conclusion …

Message In A Bottle, Saptarshi Biswas

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

The title of the image is inspired by a famous old song by the British rock band The Police. The song featured Sting’s evocative lyrics and captures a profound sense of isolation and longing. The song tells the story of a castaway who sends out a distress signal, only to discover that he is not alone in his feelings of loneliness. Through its haunting melody and rhythmic pulse, the track conveys themes of connection and the human experience, illustrating how, despite physical separation, people share similar struggles and emotions. The metaphor of the bottle serves as a poignant reminder of …

A Resident, Angelina Hong

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

We are all passengers in this life, with unique trails and destinations but many common intersections along the way. I have always been fascinated by the multidimensional nature of the hospital—a place of hope, love, pain, mourning, reflection all at once, not only for patients, but also for friends, family, and employees. At times, journeys become so layered and intertwined that the lines between these different roles are blurred, seemingly dissolving the classical hierarchy we rely on to differentiate physicians, residents, nurses, patients etc. At the end of the day, we are all people persevering and growing the best we …

Two 55-Word Stories: Reasonable Suspicion And There’S An Art To This, Angel Ogbeide

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Narrative medicine, specifically the 55-word story, provides clinicians an opportunity to reflect on experiences they encounter and garner significant meaning from them. These 2 stories discuss difficult situations I have experienced in my practice of medicine.

“Reasonable Suspicion” is an internal reflection on the weight of the complex decisions providers are often faced with (mandatory reporting, etc) and are not emphasized enough in health care. Doing the right thing in a clinical situation is taught. How doing the right thing can make a provider feel is not.

“There’s an Art to This” discusses grief. How do you grieve a patient? …

Harmonizing Innovation: The Beatles, Emi, And The Birth Of Computed Tomography Imaging, Matthew A. Daniel, Alexander Holland, Saptarshi Biswas

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Computed tomography (CT) imaging has become a cornerstone of modern medical diagnostics, thanks to the groundbreaking work of Sir Godfrey Hounsfield. However, the significant role played by his employer, Electric and Musical Industries (EMI), in providing financial support for his research is often overlooked. In this paper, we explore the connection between EMI's success in the music industry, particularly its signing of the Beatles, and Hounsfield's pioneering work on CT imaging. EMI’s success in the music industry provided the financial stability for Hounsfield's research endeavors. In 1971, he developed the first CT scanner, which revolutionized diagnostic medicine. His collaboration with …

Ethical Considerations Of Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tube Placement In A Patient With Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease And Advanced Dementia, Toni Habib, Niamh Siobhán Mulrooney, Yisroel Grabie, Mohammad Maruf, Sophia Kasapira

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative condition that is not easily diagnosed and has no curative treatments available, essentially requiring palliative measures, including tube feeding. Nonetheless, data shows that the endoscope used for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube insertion can be a vector for CJD transmission.

Case Presentation

We discuss the case of an elderly patient diagnosed with CJD, requiring tube feeding. Multiple specialists were consulted, and they were unable to reach an agreement on the best approach. Eventually, the hospital ethics committee intervened, and the family agreed to comfort measures only. This case report sheds light …

Behind The Curtain, Angelina Hong

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

One of my favorite themes in medicine is the concept of identity. Medicine is layered. It is continually saving lives, expanding in capabilities, and recruiting new students. But how does it shape us, and where does one draw the line between self and profession?

Physicians are classically a symbol of hope and healing. But medicine is challenging physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Add on top of that the daily burdens of our personal lives, and the responsibility can become quite heavy, making it difficult to walk with a smile every day. There is a time to stand behind a “curtain”, for …

Lyrical Stillness, Madhav Patel

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

“Lyrical Stillness” is a poem I wrote during my radiation oncology rotation, during which I was provided the opportunity to learn more about multidisciplinary cancer care while delving deeper into radiotherapy. Cancer can be an overwhelming disease process physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Patients undergoing treatment often experience stress and anxiety with the uncertainty of their prognoses. In this poem, I describe a patient receiving radiation therapy whom I enjoyed speaking to about his favorite hobby: bird watching. During his subsequent radiation treatment sessions, I decided to play a CD of mockingbirds singing in a tropical forest, in the hopes it …

Turmoil, Derek Kent

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

I painted this picture after tearing up over the phone with her parents. "I think she's passing away," I had told them, "You'd better come up to the hospital." Inexperienced as a brand new physician, I felt like I was drowning in my responsibility over the care of my patients. Real people, with real lives, with real consequences to my decisions. It has gotten easier to feel okay while helping other humans pass away. And it sounds a little dramatic, but I've found ways to help myself cope without being stranded by the waves.

The Heart Of Residency, Julia Fashner, Samantha Gionocchio

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

As part of wellness activities in 2023, our family medicine residents produced individual paintings. Samantha coalesced these 4 x 4 canvases to create this heart. The following quote is also poignant for those of us in family medicine:

Wherever the art of Medicine is loved there is also a love of Humanity. -Hippocrates

Well-Being And Leadership Within The Emergency Department, Jacob T. Berg, Thomas Matese, Dennis Anthony Cardriche, David Hotwagner

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

This article looks at well-being and the role of leadership from the perspective of emergency medicine. The importance of leadership within the emergency department (ED), emergency medicine writing at large, and the prevention of burnout and compassion fatigue cannot be overstated. This article looks at the need for more research and measured interventions within the ED. It also highlights some measures that could be taken to help improve well-being from a leadership perspective to improve patient safety and outcomes within the ED.

A Resident Led Newsletter Is A Powerful Communication Tool, Jonathan Brown, Zuhair Ali, An Dao, Mike Wong, Rajeev Raghavan

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Communication with stakeholders for a graduate medical education (GME) program depends on shared visual and written content. Residency training programs are embracing social media as a communication channel. However, curated information that may only be viewed by subscribers or followers is difficult to archive and may appear overwhelming to novice users. An electronic, printable newsletter may be a unique communication tool for training programs to share information among residents, faculty, and hospital administration.

Methods

We published a monthly electronic newsletter sent to all residents, teaching faculty, and additional stakeholders in our internal medicine residency program. We conducted an electronic …

Autonomy Versus Independence: Implications For Resident And Faculty Engagement, Performance, And Well-Being, Adam P. Neufeld, C. Scott Rigby

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Research shows that when educational leaders support their learners’ autonomy, it positively impacts both parties. This is particularly important in graduate medical education (GME), given that there is a strong emphasis on resident performance, evaluation, and development. Unfortunately, GME faculty often misunderstand autonomy as the resident’s desire for independence or “freedom,” when in fact it refers to the core psychological need to feel volitional and agentic. The distinction is important because volition is not synonymous with independence, and providing freedom can be at odds with strategies that provide true autonomy support. This, in turn, can contribute to the stress, maladjustment, …

What Motivates You?, Mohamad S. Saad

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

For over 100 years, we have tried to understand how human motivation works. Although various theories have been developed and different experiments have been conducted to explain motivational drive, we have realized that extrinsic motivation factors, such as rewards and punishment, and financial incentives are not the answers. More important and central to motivation is nourishing our innate human need to be autonomous, competent, and to relate to our organizational culture. All of us need to understand the story of motivation because, as dire as our need for high-quality motivation is, high-quality motivation remains an asymptote.

Comfort Care, Saptarshi Biswas

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Death does not thrill me anymore. I am a trauma surgeon extraordinaire! The patient had suffered a traumatic brain injury and has struggled for weeks. He is only 16. Today, the family decided to make him “comfort care." I was at the end of my call, exhausted, drained of all energy. I looked out of the ICU window and saw the fading rain and the city lights. It somehow reminded me of a precious life ebbing away, and I burst into a silent scream. I am still human.

Cârța Monastery, Barbara L. Gracious

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

The Cârța Monastery, a former Cistercian monastery, is pictured here from one of its sides, conjuring the romanticism that is beloved in medieval ruins. The photo was taken on a sunny fall afternoon in the Țara Făgărașului region of Romania in southern Transylvania. Cârța Monastery was started around 1202 by a group of Cistercian monks from Egres Abbey in the then-kingdom of Hungary. Cistercian architecture is considered some of the most beautiful of the Middle Ages, and walking the grounds of the Monastery indeed evoked a profound sense of gratitude, awe, and peace in the shadow of its beauty that …

Covid: The Sound Of Silence, Saptarshi Biswas

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

COVID brought its toll of deaths. Something the human race has not experienced in recent times. Something almost unimaginable in the modern world! But having joined a new hospital and moved to a sleepy old town, COVID gave me a sense of solitude I have not experienced for eons. There are times you wonder at the endless ocean in front of you and communicate with your inner soul.

And Yet, Angelina Hong

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

As healthcare workers, invested in the wellbeing of our patients while also hoping to grow as individuals, we sometimes tend to view our jobs as a rigid duality—we are either “in love” with our practice and persevere flawlessly through all hardship, or we are “burnt out,” coldhearted, and defeated by the heavy workload and expectations of medicine.

In reality, we all sit somewhere in the middle of a blurry spectrum, balancing out physical, mental, and emotional pain with the immense honor of saving and cherishing human life, while simultaneously struggling to reconcile our altruistic goals with realistic but necessary human …

Ode To My Emr, Kelly T. Clouse

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Our EMRs should empower us, but unfortunately, they often bully and frustrate us. This poem is an expression of my frustration and disappointment with my own EMR. Creating it allowed me to channel my frustration and disappointment.

Resilience, Nicholas D'Angelo

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

On one of the busiest parkways, in the midst of a spring drought, despite the lack of soil a sunflower blooms. This tiny beacon of hope represents the enduring spirit of humanity managing to struggle through this recent global pandemic. For me as a program director, it conjures to mind my graduating family medicine residents. Due to COVID-19, they had to pull extra shifts in the hospital, flip patients in the ICU, and witnessed death on an unprecedented scale. Despite this adversity, they continue to grow professionally, thrive individually, and show the world their sunny smiling faces.

Ambivalence At 10 000 Feet, Marc Perlman

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

The transition from medical neophyte to seasoned physician is a gradual process spanning the course of many years. However, there are various milestones throughout the experience that capture increases in decision-making capacity and responsibility, such as the switch from pre-clinical to clinical medical education. Medical students in their clinical years are endowed with an abundance of knowledge from their pre-clinical years and are just beginning to synthesize and apply that information to patient care. “Ambivalence at 10 000 Feet” captures a reflection of a third-year medical student on the theoretical decision to provide emergency medical care in the absence of …

My Heart, Mina Bhatnagar

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

A poem expressing a daughter’s love for her father through their shared passions for cardiology and medicine.

Medicine's Roots: Through The Banyan Trees, Emily E. Klosterman

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

I started residency before the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when we were able to see our patient’s faces without masks, give reassuring smiles, and sit closely while discussing a difficult diagnosis. Little did I know that in 2019, the way we practice would change overnight, as an unprecedented virus took hold. We could no longer see our patients’ faces, reassuring smiles were hidden by masks, and close conversations were held at a distance. Our homes became our claustrophobic havens, and the hospitals were saturated with patients.

Driven by a deep-rooted need to assist others, we continued onward. As life …

Tattoos In Medicine, Marcus Ibrahim

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

I am a second-year family medicine resident with a rather large arm-sleeve tattoo. As you can probably deduce by reading the title of this editorial, it will focus on how tattoos in healthcare may be perceived by others. My goal is to illustrate some of my perspectives, opinions, and experiences regarding making my tattoos visible in the clinical setting.