Narrative Medicine at CUNY Med
The Discipline of Narrative Medicine is becoming an essential part of medical education throughout North and South America and is gaining influence around the globe.
Narrative Medicine prepares health professionals to apply the skills and values of narrative understanding to improve outcomes for both patients and caregivers and to investigate issues pertinent to health and healthcare in a transdisciplinary setting.
Narrative Medicine was first introduced at the CUNY School of Medicine in 2009. As awareness of its importance and impact grew, it became a required element of our undergraduate education in 2014 and is now integrated into all levels of our medical education curriculum. We use the core principles and practices to forefront the narrative complexity and intensely personal experience of students, faculty and staff who are working to confront and address medical inequity, structural violence, food instability, climate change, and countless other factors that contribute to suffering that includes but is not limited to, poor healthcare outcomes.
The Narrative Medicine Track of Distinction is a longitudinal, focused yet flexible concentration of study and practice rooted in the Principles and Practices of Narrative Medicine. We nurture and employ the tools of close reading and reflective writing within the equity-seeking framework of the CUNY School of Medicine.
The foundational philosophical and practical elements of this track are established in the undergraduate years. The later undergraduate and early medical school years are time for self-directed experiential practice and renewal of established skills.
Students will be offered appropriate evaluations, feedback & support at each of the 4 Phases to sustain their enrollment in the track and eventual award of distinction upon completion of requirements.
Narrative Medicine Track of Distinction
Students engaged in our Narrative Medicine Track of Distinction are prepared to:
- Comprehend & apply the core principles and practices of Narrative Medicine in academic settings
- Recognize and acknowledge the effects of collective trauma, oppression, as well as the liberatory practices of our myriad cultures of origin
- Invest in the necessary functions of imagination as a tool for survival, liberation, joy, and excellence of both individuals and collective community
- Witness and honor testimonies of oppression including racism, imperialism, hetero and cis-normativity, ableism, and anti-blackness; recognizing that all people have a role to play in healing from pervasive inequities
- Develop the dialectical capacities for non-judgmental self-reflection and critical self-awareness
- Utilize culturally rooted and appropriate forms of art and creative processes toward self-care in the context of a dissonant culture of medical education
- Recognize the ways language (including diction and assumptions regarding audience) reflects intimate and broad intersections of identity, power and systemic oppression; engage in life-long attention to one’s identity-bound use of language; and respond to others’ language choices with awareness of cultural difference and humility.
- Demonstrate a capacity for healthcare leadership that models receptive service, compassion and collaborative problem-solving, in contrast to modern notions of hierarchy, domination and hoarded control.
The Narrative Medicine Track of Distinction is a longitudinal, focused yet flexible concentration of study and practice rooted in the Principles and Practices of Narrative Medicine. We nurture and employ the tools of close reading and reflective writing within the equity-seeking framework of the CUNY School of Medicine.
The foundational philosophical and practical elements of this track are established in the undergraduate years. The later undergraduate and early medical school years are time for self-directed experiential practice and renewal of established skills.
Students will be offered appropriate evaluations, feedback & support at each of the 4 Phases to sustain their enrollment in the track and eventual award of distinction upon completion of requirements.
REQUIRED COURSES
- Narrative Medicine Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar (FIQWS) [Phase 1]
- Narrative Medicine for Mentors [Phase 2]
- M4 Elective (not required if all activities and Capstone are completed beforehand) [Phase 4]
SELECTIVE MODULES & ACTIVITIES [Phase 2 &3]
During phases 2 & 3, students engage in a variety of selective Narrative Medicine activities that build upon the foundational skills and knowledge established in phases 1 & 2. These activities cultivate further development of the following skills; small group facilitation, creative self-reflection, and collaborative creative projects.
Students engage an average of 7 hours per semester & over the summer for a total of approximately 45 hours.
FINAL WORK [Phase 4]
- Capstone Project
- Final Portfolio
Curricular Overview of the Narrative Medicine Track of Distinction at The CUNY School of Medicine
This chart describes the typical flow of how most students will complete their training in the Track.
Students can enroll in the NM for Mentors Course (NM4M) as early as Spring U1 or late as Spring U3.
A student is assigned a professional mentor after the successful completion of NM4M.
Capstone projects may begin any time after a professional mentor is assigned.
Taking time off from Track Activities is totally acceptable as long as students communicate with the Director and their mentors.
In addition to the mentorship of Track Director, Samantha Barrick, all students will be assigned a mentor from the Narrative Medicine Track Committee; usually after the completion of the Narrative Medicine for Mentors course, usually after the spring of U2.
Narrative Medicine Board of Advisors
This advisory board is composed of luminaries in the field of Narrative Medicine who offer philosophical and practical feedback on ideological decisions and implementation plans including objectives, assessments, track criteria, and capstone projects.
These are our experts, designers, advisors, advocates, cheerleaders, allies
Members of the Board of Advisors
- Samantha Barrick, MS
- Cole Billena, MD
- Rita Charon, MD, PhD
- Antoinette Cooper, MS, MFA
- Mario de la Cruz, MS
- Tonya Cherie Hegamin, MFA
- Maura Spiegel, PhD
- Stanley Thangaraj, PhD (on Sabbatical)
The Narrative Medicine Track Committee at CUNY Med
The Narrative Medicine Track Committee supports the implementation of the Track of Distinction according to the design established by Samantha Barrick and the Board of Advisors. They offer feedback on program design, rubrics and objectives particularly as it pertains to the territory here at the CUNY School of Medicine. They mentor students and attend Narrative Medicine training sessions and creative activities as warranted.
Where the tires hit the gravel, hands on, action team, local support and community visionaries & support systems
Members of the Narrative Medicine Track Committee
- Nathaniel Abittan, MD
- Samantha Barrick, MS
- Keosha Bond, EdD, MPH, CHES
- Craig Irvine, PhD
- Jeffrey Lazar, MD, MPH
- Jase Miles-Perez, MS
- Joy Richards, MS
- Kirsten Roberts, MD MS
- Kaliris Salas-Ramirez, PhD
What are the requirements for entry into track?
- After successful completion of the Narrative Medicine Freshman Seminar (FIQWS), students may register for the Narrative Medicine for Mentors course thereby declaring their interest in entering the Track of Distinction. The Director will complete an intake of their FIQWS coursework and interview the Narrative Medicine faculty that taught the student’s particular section of the Narrative Medicine FIQWS course.
When may students enter?
- Students may enter the track as early as Spring U1 and as late as Spring U3 but the majority will enter Spring U2.
How long is it?
- Students may be involved in the Track and the related Narrative Medicine experiences for the entirety of their Sophie Davis/CSOM experience. The minimum is a total of 3 semesters in addition to the Narrative Medicine FIQWS course & NM for Mentors, but that would require much concentrated time and energy devoted to training requirements and experiences. This would be possible if a student was on academic leave.
Narrative Medicine for Mentors Elective
This course is designed for students interested in becoming Narrative Medicine student mentors.
MED 21000 (2cr) – Narrative Medicine for Mentors. Professor Samantha Barrick
This course reinforces the foundational skills of close reading & reflective writing that are established in the Narrative Medicine seminar while serving as the introduction to the Narrative Medicine Track of Distinction. Students, AKA future colleagues, will have the opportunity to frequently experiment while developing their choice areas of expertise including research & scholarship, creative process & product, and teaching & facilitating in a wide variety of media and genre.
Course Description & Goals
This course is designed for students interested in becoming Narrative Medicine student mentors. It draws upon and reinforces the foundational skills of close reading and reflective writing established in the Narrative Medicine FIQWS course. Additionally, it investigates more deeply the underlying philosophies that distinguish Narrative Medicine from other practices of medical humanities and focuses attention on the personal & professional development of each individual as they nurture their own identity as a practitioner of Narrative Medicine.
Class sessions will alternate between theory and practice. Our theoretical study will focus on the text The Principles and Practices of Narrative Medicine, but will also include the literary philosophies of Toni Morrison and Natalie Diaz. Our creative practice lab will be designed for the personal exploration and application of those theories. That practice will include the close reading of texts in various literary and art forms, the development of facilitation skills, production of creative works, and other curiosity-building endeavors. Some of that work will be done independently.
While all students will gain the requisite skills and foundational knowledge to become narrative medicine student mentors, these future colleagues will also have the opportunity to develop their choice areas of expertise including research & scholarship, creative process & product, and teaching & facilitating. Participants will be given the opportunity to select texts (including art, film, literature, poetry and video) and lead peers in close reading and reflective writing exercises.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of the course, students will have achieved skill in the following areas:
- Describe the difference in philosophies, practices and goals of Narrative Medicine from other fields of medical humanities, therapy and creative writing.
- Comprehend the foundations of self-flection in the context of close reading and writing
- Perform the empathetic act of witnessing others’ stories
- Practice the act of paying singular attention
- Demonstrate awareness of the ways that language reflects intimate and broad intersections of identity and power
- Engender values of medical professionalism including empathy and social responsibility
This course is designed for students interested in becoming Narrative Medicine student mentors. It draws upon and reinforces the foundational skills of close reading and reflective writing established in the Narrative Medicine FIQWS course. Additionally, it investigates more deeply the underlying philosophies that distinguish Narrative Medicine from other practices of medical humanities and focuses attention on the personal & professional development of each individual as they nurture their own identity as a practitioner of Narrative Medicine.
Class sessions will alternate between theory and practice. Our theoretical study will focus on the text The Principles and Practices of Narrative Medicine, but will also include the literary philosophies of Toni Morrison and Natalie Diaz. Our creative practice lab will be designed for the personal exploration and application of those theories. That practice will include the close reading of texts in various literary and art forms, the development of facilitation skills, production of creative works, and other curiosity building endeavors. Some of that work will be done independently.
While all students will gain the requisite skills and foundational knowledge to become a narrative medicine student mentor, these future colleagues will also have the opportunity to develop their choice areas of expertise including research & scholarship, creative process & product, and teaching & facilitating. Participants will be given the opportunity to select texts (including art, film, literature, poetry and video) and lead peers in close reading and reflective writing exercises.
Upon completion of the course, students will have achieved skill in the following areas:
- Describe the difference in philosophies, practices and goals of Narrative Medicine from other fields of medical humanities, therapy and creative writing.
- Comprehend the foundations of self-flection in the context of close reading and writing
- Perform the empathetic act of witnessing others’ stories
- Practice the act of paying singular attention
- Demonstrate awareness of the ways that language reflects intimate and broad intersections of identity and power
- Engender values of medical professionalism including empathy and social responsibility