The Live Music Capital of the World Welcomes the AAMC

Yan Emily Yuan

Resident in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital

PGY-1

The Live Music Capital of the World Welcomes the AAMC

Austin, Texas is known for hosting performers and showcasing talents. Over the first week of November, a different stage was set: more than 4500 medical professionals—educators, administrators, leaders and influencers—gathered for the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The signature tagline ‘Learn Serve Lead’ was both brightly displayed and boldly embodied by the plenary sessions and presentations across the multi-day conference.

Dr. Darrell Kirch, president and CEO of AAMC addressing conference attendees

The value of humanities training in medical education continues to be a topic of emphasis. In her talk ‘Innovations in Professional Moral Development,’ Dr. Gail Geller of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics discussed the ‘tolerance of ambiguity’ as a key to cultivating resilience among medical trainees; she invited attendees to consider ways to use the arts and humanities to develop and hone this critical skill. At the focused lunch discussion, Dr. Stephen Schoenbaum of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation explored incorporating the principles of performing arts—acting, improvisation—to teach medical students how to engage in productive interactions with patients, other health professionals and each other. Dr. Schoenbaum referenced actor Dame Judi Dench, who says that acting is not about learning the lines but rather about understanding why the character is saying those lines in response to something that another character has said. As doctors, we are often searching for “the right thing” to say to our patients; perhaps, we should spend more time understanding why our patients are saying what they are saying.

Storytelling was not only a highlighted topic within medical education, but also in leadership training. In a standing-room-only conference hall, Dr. Alicia Monroe, Provost of the Baylor College of Medicine shared her experiences of utilizing storytelling to capture an audience. While an engaging story is helpful in sharing our successes, she has found even more power in using narrative to connect with others when “confronted with a mess.” To do this effectively, Dr. Monroe offers, tell a story “through the lens of values that matters to your listener.”

As an internal medicine resident with background in Narrative Medicine, the themes of this conference resonated strongly with my values of how to practice, teach, and lead in medicine. I was able to connect with former mentors and meet other medical educators who are passionate about operationalizing the humanities skillset within medicine. Our conversations highlighted the potential to develop innovative curricula for both students and trainees. More than ever, I am eager to incorporate medical education into my residency training and future career. I would advise future attendees to connect with other Boston-area attendees prior to the conference to share ideas and find opportunities to collaborate.

Link to interview with Judi Dench: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rnv2V3Drik