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A newsletter from the Division of Medical Humanities at NYU Langone Health
April 15, 2022

A Note to Our Readers:

After this issue, the newsletter will be on an indefinite hiatus, as I am leaving my position in the Division of Medical Humanities at NYU Langone. It has been a true pleasure to be part of this community for so many years and to bring you this weekly roundup of news & events.
     It is my hope that the newsletter will be back in the not-too-distant future. Please stay tuned – thank you for reading!

- Stacy Bodziak, editor

A New Oliver Sacks Podcast

Radiant Minds: The World of Oliver Sacks includes rare and never-before-published archival tape of Dr. Sacks speaking, with each episode of the series centered on a condition that sparked his interest.

Poetry in medicine: a pedagogical tool to foster empathy among medical students and health care professionals

In this recent article, Anuradha Joshi and colleagues explore the role of poetry as a tool to teach, cultivate, and enhance empathy among medical students and health care professionals.

Writing the worlds of genomic medicine: experiences of using participatory-writing to understand life with rare conditions

"Writing can be expressive and self-revelatory, providing insight into personal and sensitive topics," note authors Richard Gorman and Bobbie Farsides."Writing together produces new conversations and relationships." The authors describe a writing program they organized for families touched by genetic conditions, and how the narratives by participants lend insight into patient experiences.

The Meanings of Hurt

Today’s attitudes towards what we now term self-harm are very different from those of the early modern period. Alanna Skuse explores how incidents of non-suicidal self-injury were filtered through plays, poems and songs, and what these tales tell us of the spectrum of anger or emotional distress experienced by their subjects.

Highlights from Projects and People in
Humanities and Ethics at NYU Langone Health

New Annotation:
Carol Schilling on Every Last Breath: A Memoir of Two Illnesses by
Joanne Jacobson

“Jacobson’s brilliant essays refuse to let us ignore our shared vulnerability or the unpredictability of living in a body, as she once thought she could.”

Q&A: Stanley B. Burns

Stanley B. Burns, MD, FACS, an ophthalmologist and research professor of medicine and psychiatry and professor of medical humanities at NYU Langone, discusses his new book, Picturing Freedom, and describes his journey of collecting historic photographs.





The Burns Archive Photo of the Week
 

Pioneer Refractometer, 1880s


The ophthalmologist in this 1880s photograph is practicing retinoscopy using an early form of a phoropter, a refractometer to determine a patient’s refractive state. A reflecting light source is drawn on the photograph and an optical instrument is held to the physician’s eye indicating that he is examining the patient. A tube that moves the lenses in the disk is held in his other hand. The large disks contain a series of minus and plus lenses and are an adaptation of Rekoss’ rotating disk which was constructed for the improved Herman von Helmholtz ophthalmoscope. This machine appears to be one of the earliest forms of refractive machines.
      Dutch ophthalmologist Frans Cornelius Donders (1818-1889) established the importance of correcting refractive errors in the 1860s. This was a landmark in therapy not only for myopic, hypermetropic, or astigmatic patients but those suffering from headaches and muscle imbalances. His work was continued by his assistant, Herman Snellen, MD (1834-1908), and other ophthalmologists. Philadelphia’s Silas Weir Mitchell (1829-1914), America’s pioneer neurologist, supported corrective therapy and strongly promoted the practice to general practitioners. He stressed the importance of sending patients with headaches or “eye strain” to ophthalmologists. Mitchell introduced the term “eye strain” into the medical lexicon and the “rest cure” into medical therapeutics. With the recognition that refractive errors needed to be measured, innovators devised machines to accurately and speedily determine the refractive state. The correction of refractive errors was one of the great accomplishments of nineteenth century ophthalmologists. With the passage of time, this once significant medical procedure was delegated to others and physicians turn their time and attention to other unsolved or complicated conditions.

With thanks to The Burns Archive for providing historic medical photographs and commentary for this weekly feature

 

Quick Links

Calls for Submission & Other Opportunities

Gold Humanism Scholars at the Harvard Macy Institute Program for Educators
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation is sponsoring partial scholarships of $5,000 for up to two Gold Humanism Scholars at the Harvard Macy Institute 2022/2023 Program for Educators. They seek to support medical and nursing educators working to develop and enhance educational projects focused on achieving humanistic patient care that can be replicated across a variety of healthcare delivery settings. Eligibility: faculty from an accredited school of medicine or nursing in the U.S. and Canada. Not open to trainees. Deadline: May 25, 2022. More information.

2022 Conley Art of Medicine Contest
The AMA Journal of Ethics with support from the John Conley Foundation for Ethics and Philosophy sponsors an Art of Medicine contest for works in visual media that explore ethical dimensions of health or health care. Visual media entries will be judged on ethical interest and importance of the content, aesthetic appeal, and its capacity to visually augment content in forthcoming issues of the AMA Journal of Ethics. The winning artist will receive a $5,000 prize.
      Currently enrolled US medical students (MD or DO), resident physicians, or fellows are eligible to submit entries. Deadline: September 23, 2022. More information.

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Events & Conferences

APR
16

Grief Dialogues: Stories to Empower Caring Conversations

APR
27

Doctors Without Boundaries

APR
28

Abolition Medicine: Re-Imagining the Role of Social Justice in Healthcare

Featuring speakers Sayantani DasGupta, MD, MPH, Yoshiko Iwai, MFA, MS, and Zahra Khan, MS. Part of Advancing Health Equity: A Gold Human Insight Webinar Series with NYU Grossman School of Medicine
APR
29

Global Grief Conference 2022

A 72-hour livestream event from 6 a.m. MDT Friday April 29th through 6 a.m. MDT Monday May 2nd. Showcasing grief specialists from around the world.
MAY
4

Narrative Medicine Rounds:
What Can the Work of Theater of the Oppressed Bring to Healthcare? Animating the Self & Relationships Through Body Language

Kayhan Irani, Emmy-award winning writer, performer, and Theater of the Oppressed trainer, in conversation with Silvia Amesty, a family medicine physician
MAY
4-8

Mindful Practice in Medicine Core Workshop

A retreat-like workshop designed to energize your clinical work while helping you find joy and resilience, through honing your self-awareness and deep listening skills that are keys to navigating stressful and demanding situations you face daily.
MAY
5

Shame and Medical History Seminar

MAY
5-7

2022 Healing the Heart of Healthcare Conference

The virtual 2022 Healing the Heart of Healthcare conference, hosted by the Gold Humanism Honor Society, will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions, art gallery, poster hall, opportunities to meet other advocates of humanism in medicine, and much more.
(LIVE sessions May 5 & 6 | GHHS Day May 7)
MAY
12

Narrative agency, autism and recognition in the age of neurodiversity

A talk by Dr. Anna Stenning. Part of the Health Humanities Lecture Series, organized by the Leuven Centre for Health Humanities.
JUN
5

6th Annual UnLonely Film Festival Launch Event

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