Medical students have the opportunity to get involved in the humanities in both curricular activities and extracurricular ways. There are two humanities reps, one for DMNS and one for DMNB. 

Curricular
The humanities are a tool that can be used for cognitive debiasing, and humanities experiences have been incorporated at various points within the medical school curriculum. For example, second year medical students take part in a humanities-based critical thinking workshop. Students also have the chance to complete humanities-based electives and research projects, and can complete a credentialled certificate in the humanities. To inquire about these experiences, please email one of our Program Directors. Examples of past projects include using poetry to prevent burnout among trainees or creative writing in a palliative care setting. 

Extra-curricular
The chance to take part in extracurricular medical humanities activities are plentiful. Below are some of the ways you can get involved:

DMNS:
Tupper Band
Health Professions Chorale

DMNB:
Heartbeat! Interprofessional choir
Ceol Ceilidh Band

Both sites:
Visual Arts
Book club
History of medicine society
Medical student blog (under development)

Residents are also encouraged to become involved in Dalhousie’s Medical Humanities Program. A number of Dalhousie residents have chosen to complete their Final Resident Project in the medical humanities. Humanities electives are also encouraged, as is a new elective, called the Clinical Humanities elective. In this unique experience, students will pair their clinical learning with an arts or humanities component.   

Through the course of the year, the Dalhousie Humanities Program hosts a series of faculty development events on various aspects of the medical humanities program. With the Covid-19 pandemic, these events have been hosted virtually. Previous topics of events included exploring Indigenous health and wellness through film, using art to improve critical thinking and narrative medicine. 

The Co-Directors are also eager to work with Dalhousie faculty and staff across disciplines in research and teaching initiatives. Please contact one of our Directors if you would like to collaborate.

We are pleased to be working with community partners and patients. If you are a community organization or a patient and you would like to get involved, please reach out to us at medhuman@dal.ca.

The Cynthia Davis Prize for Writing is an award that is offered annually to a medical student or resident for a work of creative writing. This could be in the form of a short-story, poem or creative nonfiction piece.

Congratulations to the winners of the Cynthia Davis writing prize:

First Prize: An Enduring Eulogy – Deborah Ocholi, MD, Class of 2024

Runners up:
1. Manifestation – MS Matthew Sinclair, PGY1 Family Medicine, Annapolis Valley
2. Something Like Peace – Anna Scheidler, MD, Class of 2023

Presented each year to a physician faculty member who:

1. Exemplifies a humanistic approach to clinical care and stimulates learners to engage with arts and humanities in their personal and professional life.
2. Integrates scholarly work related to the humanities into their professional life, and acts as a mentor in scholarship and/or research in the medical humanities.
3. Serves as an effective role model in the medical humanities.

The Dalhousie Society for the History of Medicine and the family of Dr F Ian Maclean are honoured to have this prize established in his memory. Dr. Maclean began his career in science as an undergraduate in the University of Toronto in 1947, eventually retiring in 1995 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Dalhousie University. He was a popular and conscientious teacher, devoting considerable energy to the introductory courses in biochemistry that he taught in the School of Nursing. After his retirement he travelled frequently and widely, pursuing interests both inside and outside science. One of these was the history of medicine.

The prize recognizes the accomplishments of a Dalhousie Medical or Nursing student (undergraduate, graduate or resident) who demonstrates excellence in a scholarly project related to the history of medicine.

This lecture series was established in honour of Dr. TJ (Jock) Murray, former Dean of Dalhousie Medical School. The T J Murray Visiting Scholar in the Medical Humanities-HEALS Program promotes the balance of science and humanities in medicine.

The Hunter Humanities Award will be presented to a graduating medical student at Dalhousie who has made an outstanding contribution to the concept and spirit of the humanities in medicine and demonstrated the humanistic qualities of caring and compassion in his/her care of patients. The award, $1000, has been generously contributed by a Dalhousie Graduate, Dr. Mary Hunter, retired from anesthesiology practice in Toronto.