More on humanities & medical education
In a nice follow-up to the post last week about integrating arts and humanities into medical school curricula, here is a story about the collaboration between Yale University School of Medicine and University College London Medical School to hold a poetry contest for medical students. The winner received $1500, which was donated by an anonymous patient who wanted the money to go to an initiative involving health care and literature. The contest received 160 poems for consideration, a fact that indicates the current generation of physician trainees are very interested in forms of artistic expression regarding their work.
Creative writing isn't necessarily something most people associate with their doctors, but there are a number of physicians who are also wonderful writers: Michael Crichton, Atul Gawande, William Carlos Williams and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are just a few.
There was such a flood of interest (and quality poetry) in response to the contest, that it is being planned again next year, with another $1500 top prize being donated by the same patient. I hope it becomes an annual event for Yale and University College London, and that other medical schools and academic health centers consider art and writing events as well.
The winners of the poetry contest, along with another excellent example of medical poetry entitled "Cancer Winter" by Marilyn Hacker, can be read here.
