McGovern Center Hosts First Annual Medical Humanities Student Symposium
April 8, 2011
On Saturday, March 19, 2011, the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics hosted the first annual medical humanities symposium for students. The event showcased papers of graduating medical students of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) completing the four-year Medical Humanities and Ethics Certificate Program. The event highlights these students' work and offers them the opportunity to present before faculty and guests, as well as invite discussion and feedback on their presentations.
This all-day symposium was held at the Hilton Houston Plaza/Medical Center Hotel, with fellow humanities students from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and law students from Texas Tech University School of Law among the day's presenters. Presentation topics varied from the Art of Teaching in Medical Education to Behavioral Economics and Medical Decision Making.
Program directors, Dr. Craig Klugman (The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio), Dr. Howard Brody (The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveson), and Dr. Cheryl Erwin (UTHealth and Texas Tech University), were also present to share information about their schools' programs and discuss the wonderful enrichment each program offers its students. Dr. Thomas Cole, Director of the McGovern Center, welcomed guets to this first-ever event, and fellow faculty member of the Center, Dr. Bryant Boutwell, gave the keynote address on the life of John P. McGovern, M.D., and the process involved in writing Dr. McGovern's biography which is now underway at the Center.
Says Dr. Cole, "It was a most rewarding day to turn the podium over to our students to present and discuss their research. Bringing together humanities students and faculty from Galveston and San Antonio added an important collaborative dimension for a day of information sharing and showcasing the outstanding work of our students."
The McGovern Center wishes to thank the following students who participated in the Symposium and made this event a success:
UTHealth:
- Michelle Christie, "History of Vaccines and Autism"
- Jed Hummel, "Behavioral Economics and Medical Decision Making"
- Sam Li, "Listening to the Past on Insights to the Future: A Medical School History Project"
- Judson Merritt, "Eudaimonistic Scientia"
- Saint-Aaron Morris, "Lessons from the Osler-Cushing Relationship: A Historical Glimpse into Mentorship"
- Raphael Nwojo, "International Medical Research with a Focus on Informed Consent"
- Kyle Walker, "The Portrayal of Defense and Coping Mechanisms in Narrative"
- Nathan Wright, "The Art of Teaching in Medical Education: Reflections of a Medical Student"
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston:
- Alina Bennett, "Medical Humanities and Medical Education"
- Andrew Childress, "Liminality and the Subjective Experience of Catastrophic Illness"
- Peggy Determeyer, "Not Dead Yet: The Case for a Holistic View of Brain Death"
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio:
- Alisha Jiwani, "Addressing the Physician Shortage in Texas"
- Troy Russell, "The Common Misconceptions of the Right to Health"
Texas Tech University School of Law:
- Courtney Burns, "Electronic Health Records and the Impact on Quality of Care"
- Leslie Collins & Michael Henry, "Chronic Illness and Public Spending: Should All Americans Pick up the Tab for the Irresponsibility of a Few?"
Special thanks to Drs. Bryant Boutwell and Eugene Boisaubin for permission to use these photos.
~ Angela Polczynski