DEVELOPING MEDICAL HUMANITIES

CONHI co-hosts first Medical Humanities Symposium

In April 2022, UTA hosted its first Medical Humanities Symposium as part of National Public Health Week. Led by Grace Brannon and Sonia Kania from UTA’s College of Liberal Arts (COLA), the goal of the symposium was to connect professionals, practitioners, students, and patients to show the practical application of the medical humanities program in health-related fields, particularly the importance of empathic communication and patient-centered approaches.

Along with academics and professionals, students from different fields of study had opportunities to be involved with the symposium’s development and execution. UTA student organizations assisted with the logistics and formulating questions beforehand to ensure an interactive audience.

“The first part of the symposium really was to educate others on what medical humanities is,” says Tiffany Kindratt, assistant professor of kinesiology and a member of the planning committee. “Then we were able to bring in different aspects like medical humanities through art, where patients expressed themselves and their experiences with disease through art.”

Other speakers, including representatives from UT Southwestern, explored topics such as taking personal bias out of medical note-writing. Another speaker highlighted the importance of addressing and maintaining eye contact with a patient who is using a language interpreter.

Paid for by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the symposium was a collaborative effort between CONHI, COLA, and UTA’s Department of Philosophy, who together provide coursework for students related to medical humanities topics in their programs at UTA.

“The symposium was good exposure for students that may be interested in nursing, kinesiology, or public health, who may be more interested in looking at these other sides of communication between providers and patients,” says Dr. Kindratt.