M CoverE C A H U N i E S
D I L M A T I
Medical Humanities Program at Baylor University
MURAL PHOTO
Baylor University Medical
Humanities
Program
a bridge between the arts & sciences
A Letter from Dr. Barron We are delighted to bring you the third issue of MH Magazine with stories about the impact the Medical Humanities Program has had, is having and continues to have in the lives of Baylor students as they enter the next step in their training to work in or around the healthcare professions. You may wonder about the face on our cover. Let me introduce you to Mr. David Wayne Vaughn who works at Baylor’s McMullen Faculty Center. Mr. Vaughn, who once thought about becoming a doctor himself one day, has nothing but words of admiration and praise for his own family physician, Dr. Christopher Grant. When I asked Mr. Vaughn about what makes Dr. Grant such a great doctor, and what advice he would give Baylor students, he said two things: “Have humility and hang in there.” “People in healthcare need to treat patients with respect,” says Mr. Vaughn. “They may know a lot—but there’s a lot they don’t know, too, and they can learn a lot from their patients.” As to ‘hanging in there’, Mr. Vaughn is referring to the persistence and patience that becoming a healthcare professional requires—patience both for the long hours of studying that are required, and for the time that it takes to really listen to your patients. The ways we are like those we meet far outweigh the ways we are different. Mr. Vaughn’s words of wisdom are just as true whether he is a patient or a partner in your medical practice—whether he is a stranger or your supervisor; a member of your family or a member of your faculty; an administrator, a medical assistant or your attending physician. His face on the cover of this edition of MH Magazine is a symbol of the way in which we must bear in mind both the uniqueness and the universals of the human condition that each person brings to a medical encounter. In this issue of MH Magazine, you’ll read about ways in which we try to share these lessons with our students. You’ll read about the Medical Humanities Retreat, in many ways the centerpiece of our program, in addition to an article about Dr. Kay Toombs, one of the founding faculty of the Medical Humanities Program, and recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award in Medical Humanities. You will also meet Dr. Jeff Levin and learn about his expertise at the intersection of health and religion and the exciting new seminar style course he has developed about religious healers in different traditions. In addition, you’ll read interviews with current DeBakey Scholars and medical humanities alumni and an update on the incredibly successful volunteer project at the Family Health Center. The stories that are coming out of the Medical Humanities Program continue to generate excitement among friends and fans of the program—and you will see that reflected in their faces. Whether they be current students, recent grads, or physicians in the Waco community who are allowing Baylor students to serve and shadow in their footsteps, these are stories of transformational education--stories that are shaping the future that we will face together. With medicine in mind and healthcare at heart,
Lauren Barron, MD Associate Director, Medical Humanities Program Baylor University
C O N T E N T S 03
Letter from Dr. Barron
15
Alumni Spotlight
05
Medical Humanities Retreat
19
Religous Healing
08
Student Spotlight
22
Family Health Center Volunteers
12
Healed But Not Cured
25
A Letter From Dr.Hugh Manatee
Feat. Dr. Kay Toombs
Feat. Dr. Jeff Levin
M E D I C A L H U M A N I T I E S R E T R E A T “enlightening moving and helping to develop a much deeper understanding of what it meant to live the up� side-down good life”
MEDICAL HUMANITIES RETREAT The 16th Annual Medical Humanities Retreat was held February 13th and 14th at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary. The keynote speaker was Dr. Lisa Baker who spoke on the topic “The Least of These: What In God’s Name Can We Do?” taken from Jesus’ parable in Matthew 20:1-6. Dr. Baker reflected on her experience of serving alongside and learning from a community in Kenya through the ministry of Straw to Bread. She talk -ed about tragedies and triumphs through the years, emphasizing how deep and abiding friendship is more important than any particular project. “Having worked alongside Dr. Baker, both in Kenya and on the Baylor campus, I can absolutely attest to her commitment to caring for ‘the least of these.’ She exemplifies the kind of physician we hope to develop through the Medical Humanities Program,” professor, Dr. Bill Hoy said. Students raved about Dr. Baker’s speech, describing it as “enlightening, moving and helping to develop a much deeper understanding of what it meant to live the upside-down good life.” Worship, music, reflection and devotional time was led by Kevin Gallemore from Cy-Fair Christian Church in Houston, Texas and the Medical Humanities Program’s own Dr. Hoy who helped students connect the ‘message with the motivation behind it” as one student put it. On Saturday morning, Drs. Mike and Karol Hardin presented on “Confessions of a C Minus Missionary”. Both Mike and Karol Hardin are Baylor alumni, with expertise in the realm
of medicine. Dr. Mike Hardin is a family physician and program director for the Waco Family Practice Residency Program, and Dr. Karol Hardin is an Associate Professor of Spanish at Baylor, who is famous for her course in medical Spanish and who has been involved in research related to translation in medical encounters between physicians and patients. The Hardins spent three years in Ecuador as part of a medical mission team, working at a hospital on the edge of the Amazon. Their talk focused more on lessons learned from those they served rather than on their own contributions and accomplishments, highlighting the much needed virtue of humility in the context of medical missions. In addition to these excellent talks and presentations about the intersection of faith and medicine, the schedule also included small group discussions and breakout sessions, conversation and community building among students and faculty, a Q&A session with Baylor alumni who are now in medical school, and more. This year was the largest retreat thus far, with over 130 students and guests in attendance. This retreat is one of the centerpieces of Baylor’s Medical Humanities Program, providing a yearly opportunity to explore the vocation of medicine as a spiritual calling. “The Medical Humanities Retreat is a peak experience for me every year, personally and professionally, and has been extremely formational in my own experience as a physician confronting the integration of faith and medicine,” Dr. Lauren Barron said.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Hannah Bram
A degree in Medical Humanities brings experience and perspective that is applicable for any career involving medicine. Hannah Bram, a junior Medical Humanities major at Baylor, hopes to attend Physican Assistant school after completing her degree. Bram said she chose Medical Humanities because she knew she wanted to do something medical, but also wanted to explore subjects such as philosophy and religion. “Medical Humanities is
the perfect blend of scientific backing, interpersonal communication, global applications and holistic integration of humanity into my future career,” Bram said. Bram said her two favorite courses she has taken in the Medical Humanities program thus far are Supervised Clinical Medicine with Dr. Lauren Barron and End of Life Care and Bereavement with Dr. William Hoy. Bram said she enjoyed these courses because they allowed her to explore aspects of medicine she has never been exposed to. “By facing aspects of medicine that may make me uncomfortable, I feel better prepared to be a holistic physician assistant that offers the best care possible to my patients,” Bram said. Along with studying Medical Humanities, Bram has had the honor of being selected as a Debakey scholar. Each
year Debakey scholars are chosen from the top Medical Humanities majors based on variables including GPA and involvement. When asked what she likes the most about the Medical Humanities program, Bram answered, “the incredible faculty and professors.” “I have been greatly blessed by their interactive classroom discussions, challenging questions and most of all, their genuine concern for shaping informed, compassionate professionals,” Bram said. Bram says the professors touch on all aspects of medicine, even if the subject may seem uncomfortable. “The Medical Humanities professors create an environment that encourages my fellow classmates and I to explore all aspects of the medical world, even those topics that are typically avoided in an undergraduate classroom,” Bram said.
More Than Just A Doctor Q & A with Medical Humanities’ Debakey Scholar, Paul Koester
Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A
How did you get into the Medical Humanities program here at Baylor? My sister was a medical humanities major here at Baylor and graduated in 2012. She is now at the University of North Texas Health Science Center working on becoming a Physicians’ Assistant.
What do you like most about the Medical Humanities program? Definitely the diversity. Like how you can tailor the major to your interests and how you aren’t bound to classes that you have to take. There’s a lot of freedom and mobility to pursue psychology, sociology, whatever you are interested in the program lets you work towards that.
What does this program mean to you? It’s really important to love what you do. There hasn’t been a medical humanities class that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. Every one of them has been applicable and a big part about it was seeing how it was going to help me in my future. Being able to see this is what made me attracted to this major.
What is your favorite medical humanities class thus far? Supervised clinical medicine with Dr. Lauren Barron. It is basically a whole class revolved around shadowing specialty physicians and every week we would shadow. Some weeks it would be a cardiologist and being able to go out into the field and see first hand those connections with the physicians. Just really getting into made it almost feel real and like you’re almost there. It was an amazing course.
What are some unique qualities that medical humanities provides? There’s a lot of room for additional support. The program gets a lot of guest speakers and supplemental instruction and opportunities to seek out. We just had our retreat last weekend, so there are lots of ways to get involved.
Q A Q A Q A Q A
How do you think medical humanities will mold you to be a better doctor one day? I think it has almost kind of changed how I view physicians and what their roles are because before medical humanities I would see a doctor and think scientist and think that’s the reason why they are there. But, taking a lot of medical humanities courses has shown me that it is more about building a relationship with your patient and gaining trust. You specifically are trying to really help someone through their difficult time and the thing is the patient can find a scientist anywhere, but what they are looking for is someone to help them. A real, personal relationship and I hope to reflect that in some way in my future career. I want to be more than just a doctor.
What are your future goals? I would really like to after I graduate either go straight to medical school or maybe take a year off if I had to. After that, I am interested in doing family practice like my dad, probably no coincidence there. I really like family medicine and primary care. There are lots of options to sub-specialize and help many different patients of all ages and types. It just seems like a good field to get into.
What does it mean to you to be a Debakey Scholar? Well it actually kind of came as a surprise to me, but I really hope that I live to the expectation that they have placed in me. This is a huge deal and I don’t want to squander this great gift that I have been given.
Anything else that you would like to add about the program? I feel like since it is still a small major it’s a lot more close knit and like a family. Whenever you meet a fellow medical humanities major it’s almost as if you meet someone who has the same mindset about medicine as they do. It’s really a nice experience having that small community that let’s you have a better relationship with your fellow students as well as the professors teaching the courses within this major. The professors are really invested in your future.
FEATURING
DR. KAY TOOMBS
Dr Kay Toombs
Healed, But Not Cured Dr. S. Kay Toombs is an associate professor emeritus of philosophy at Baylor University. After being diagnosed in 1973 with multiple sclerosis, Dr.Toombs has since found a niche for herself through pioneering the medical humanities department at Baylor. An incredible and inspiring woman, Dr. Toombs has lived a life worth living and has been recognized by Baylor for the lifetime achievement award. Her story of coming to the United States is truly a miracle. Born and reared in England, Dr. Toombs then moved
to North Africa and lived through the Libyan Revolution. Then she migrated to America and then ultimately to Waco, Texas of all places and was then introduced to Baylor University. She can still remember that small apartment that she lived in on 8th Street and how it took her 12 years to complete her bachelor’s degree. From learning how to cope with her debilitating disease and moving to South Africa for a year, Dr. Toombs eventually came back to Waco with determination and will. She was the first woman to graduate
through the university scholar program and summa cum laude. This was the beginning of all of the successful achievements that Dr. Toombs would ultimately accomplish throughout her life. She since went on to get a masters degree in philosophy with a thesis emphasis in her experience with illness. She then commented that she needed to get a PhD if she wanted to be taken seriously by anyone and thus began the trying journey of daily commuting to Rice University in Houston, Texas from Waco. Her husband
had been her rock during that tough time always saying that “Well, you can try it and if you can’t then quit.” However, she took it one day at a time and ultimately the hard work paid off and she graduated. Her next adventure began with teaching back at Baylor. Dr. Herbert Reynolds had asked the faculty to create interdisciplinary courses for seniors. Dr. Toombs then used her experience with illness and disability by using the concept “illustrate it with literature.” She wanted the pre-medical students to understand that they will be dealing with humans and not bodies. The project that she
required all of her seniors to complete in her course was something that had never been done before. She asked them to all interview someone living with a chronic illness. A young man in her class interviewed a woman living with lupus and the result was something very transformational for the student. Thus, the medical humanities minor was implemented which paved the way for the major to get settled in not long after. The pivotal beginning course of this program according to Dr. Toombs is a class offered called “Literary and Philosophical Perspectives in Medicine.” From there, the rest
is history. When asked where she thinks the medical humanities program is going, Dr. Toombs replied, she isn’t sure, but she believes the program is incredibly important for the training of future physicians. She then went on to say no matter what we are doing, “we all have the opportunity to be healers.” Dr. Toombs can be found today living in her quiet home in Homestead Heritage with her exotic birds and colorful stitching. Her tearoom in the back of her house lets in the warm sunshine and provides a light and hope for the future health care professionals of tomorrow.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Allison Sellner Allison Sellner is proof that sometimes it pays to practice what you preach. Allison, originally from Houston, Texas, graduated from Baylor in May 2012 with a degree in Medical Humanities. She then spent the next two years teaching high school chemistry, first in Waco and then Nashville. She advises premedical students to do the same, saying “Don’t be afraid to be nontraditional. You only get one life to live. There’s nothing wrong with getting real life experience and actually I’m probably a better medical student for it. It makes me a better medical student in that I know what I want from this career now. I know why I’m here, it’s for me and it’s for God. I have my purpose.” Like many premedical students, Allison didn’t always have such clarity in her purpose. She recalls struggling with the decision to decide her future until two classes her senior year changed her mind. The combination of Dr. Yonkis’ biochemistry class and Dr. Tran’s bioethics class “turned [her] worldview upside down.” Seeing she could succeed in a difficult science class and was passionate about healing cemented her decision to go to medical school. “The reason I got into medicine is because I love science, I love helping people, and for the unique position I have as a physician to affect people lives and be a part of people’s lives. What a privilege it is to get to have those relationships,” Allison says. Remembering her medical school interviews Allison is grateful for her background in the humanities. “Having gone through Medical Humanities, when they ask you an ethical question you have the language you need to answer the question. I wouldn’t go back and change it for anything,” she recalled. Now in her first year at Baylor College of Medicine, she plans on pursuing primary care. “I really want the longevity of relationships with patients that only primary
care really lets you have,” she explained. Allison’s desire to form close relationships with her patients is what motivates her through the rigors of medical school. “That’s the art side that we talk about in medicine. There’s obviously the science side, we have to practice good evidence based medicine for our patients, but caring for our patients isn’t just technical. It’s caring about their whole person.”
Elizabeth Newman Elizabeth Newman graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Medical Humanities in December 2013; she was also in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, or BIC. She’s from Gainesville, Florida, and now resides in Fort Worth, Texas, as a first year medical student at TCOM. She plans to pursue primary care, potentially in poverty areas, as a way to fight against what she describes as “the disparities seen in health care from systemic issues of poverty that then perpetuate issues in health care.”
Elizabeth was drawn to the Medical Humanities program immediately. She describes it as “a major that had something to offer in terms of how to be a better doctor, not just a better scientist.” Her background in the humanities also provides guidance now as a medical student. “Knowing the impact that we’ll get to have later helps us with perspective. It’s refreshing to have that humanistic element to fall back on when it seems like you’re drowning in science,” she said. As advice to prospective students Elizabeth says “Try your best not to worry about the logistics of everything. So many people get caught up in the details that they forget to live in the moment. Try to hold onto the humanity of all of it. It’s easy to get lost in what you’re doing and lose sight of the fact that we’re so privileged to get this opportunity. To see it as a huge honor to be in medical school and to get to help people in that capacity is a true honor. If you get so caught up in the numbers and the logistics of how you’re going to get to become a doctor you lose sight of the fact that as doctors, you’re in one of the most intimate relationships with a person that you will ever to get to be in, and the sacredness of that. That’s helped me enjoy my experience in medical school, remembering that as physicians we get the opportunity to step on some holy ground.”
Ashley Bui Anyone that sits down with Ashley Bui, May 2011 Medical Humanities graduate from Sugarland, Texas, can feel her passion not only for medicine, but her deep desire to care for those around her. Before she arrived at Baylor, she knew the Medical Humanities program was right for her. “I realized from volunteering at a hospital that’s so much more to medicine than the science of it. The idea of being exposed to a well-rounded approach to medicine and being pushed to think about all of that was what drew me to medical humanities,” said Ashley. As a current fourth year medical student at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Ashley is well on her way to fulfilling her dream of becoming a pediatrician.
Looking back on her time studying the humanities Ashley remembers ““Medical humanities classes helped [her] gain a wider perspective, having the opportunity to think through things from different standpoints or trying to be open to different possibilities and how they play out… We as college students were thinking into our future and putting ourselves into the place of like ‘What is it like to be a doctor? And thinking about the challenges we would face, thinking about our future patients, having that early exposure to real life issues. That’s why medical humanities is special, it exposes all these things that people are either uncomfortable
talking about or they don’t even think about. You have the opportunity to focus on these really important things that aren’t part of the basic science curriculum that everyone thinks about when they think of going to medical school and becoming a doctor.” For her, it was the open discussion style of her humanities classes that allowed her to explore her own personal philosophy of medicine. “It’s important to me that I keep those basic concepts in mind when I go to see patients. We talked about so many important things like patient centered care, understanding medicine from the perspective of a human who’s suffering and going through pain. Being a physician who’s more aware. Those concepts keep me grounded,” she said. Looking forward, Ashley is excited to pursue a career in pediatric medicine. Her advice to prospective students is “Don’t be afraid to doubt yourself. It’s healthy to go through that process. A lot of people are in the same boat as you and it’s ok to have those doubts and it’s important to pay attention to that. Think through it! So that you can ultimately get to the place where you’re meant to be. It works out. The important thing is to follow your heart, go with your gut. If you know you like something then try it out but also be open to other opportunities. Every opportunity is precious and take advantage of that and be thankful for it.”
DR JEFF LEVIN RELIGIOUS HEALING
The Medical Humanities Program has introduced a new course this semester that unveils the unconventional topic of spiritual healing. Created and taught by Dr. Jeff Levin, Religious Healing is a course that focuses on a variety of spiritual healers and how medicine and spirituality intersect. “The intersection between human spirituality, health and healing is typically ignored in western medicine and yet we know that spirituality has so much to do with our well-being and also that faith in general is important to human life. These topics are taboo in secular culture so we miss out on the fullness of what makes a human being a human
being,” Dr. Levin said. Dr. Levin is a distinguished chair and university professor at Baylor. He works for the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion and teaches in the Medical Humanities Program. He has been studying religious healers for decades and has a large collection of literature on the subject. Not only has he collected books on the subject but has written many books about the relationship between religion and healing as well. Of the many courses in the medical humanities curriculum, Religious Healing is a new course that discusses the history of religious healers on a global level. Currently,
the class is structured like a seminar meaning the class is based on student led discussions. The class meets once a week for two and a half hours and students must come prepared by having read the assigned materials. At this time, the class has eight students which allows for a more scholarly atmosphere while leaving room for critical thinking and extensive discussion. Unlike typical lecture based classes, students are able to talk freely and reach learning goals collectively. “At Baylor it’s special that you can talk about it [human spirituality]… we will not exclude the wholeness of human beings in discussion,” Dr. Levin said.
“…we will not exclude the wholeness of human beings in discussion" But what does religious healing mean? Many have no understanding of this concept or consider it too unconventional to be studied in a university. Although the course covers many types of healing, Dr. Levin puts an emphasis on western Christianity healers for a couple of reasons. One, there are more materials written on the subject, two, the interest of Baylor students usually falls in this category and three, you cannot cover everything that encompasses healing. A few topics covered include: the healing ministry of Jesus up to present day, Pentecostal and charismatic healing, 20th century faith healers, the physical effects of prayer and energy healing. Dr. Levin chose to narrow the focus in order to make the course unlike Medical Anthropology which is already taught at Baylor. Although newly introduced, Religious Healing has a promising future and according to Dr. Levin can impact students in critical ways. Medical Humanities was created to provide healthcare professionals with a greater understanding of a human being’s mental, spiritual, emotional and physical state. This course is one of many that assist the program in reaching this goal. Dr. Levin hopes that students understand two things after taking this course. First, that students will gain an appreciation that spirituality and
faith intersect with healing while leaving an impactful effect. Secondly, that whether they believe in healing or not, they will have patients who care about these things and it would be very helpful for future practitioners to know about these areas. According to Dr. Levin, this class is designed for those who want to challenge themselves to become more independent scholars. “This is a course that is intellectually challenging and covers a very unusual and unconventional topic and the idea is that at a certain point in one’s education, one should learn to confront unusual material and explore it and learn from it,” said Dr. Levin. The unique thing about this course is that there are none like it in the country because it is not a topic that is taught to undergraduates. In general, the medical humanities program at Baylor is looking to expand and continue to provide students with the most unique and beneficial courses.
“…I like it, I believe in it, and I think it’s great that we are doing this…this is the finest undergraduate program in medical humanities in the country,” said Dr. Levin.
“WITH MEDICINE IN MIND AND HEALTHCARE AT HEART”
FAMILY HEALTH CENTER
FAMILY HEAL Waco continues to grow daily into one of central Texas’ most prominent urban areas. As the population grows, so does the need for medical care. Many citizens in the Waco area do not have access to adequate healthcare, and the Family Health Centers aim to serve citizens who may not be able to access the same benefits as others.
The Family Health Center is a nonprofit organization that began in 1970, and became a federally qualified health center in 1999. The Health Center’s main mission is to serve the underserved citizens of Waco who do not have access to certain resources. Waco’s Family Health Center has 14 clinics that serve 51,000 Waco area citizens. Through these centers, customers are able to access dental, medical and counseling care they may not be able to receive otherwise. The Family Health Center offers many different care plans and discounts for citizens who do not have health insurance or qualify for Obamacare. Jasmine Hargrove, a social worker at the main campus on Providence Drive, works with citizens of all ages to have overall better mental and social health. Hargrove explains that her daily activities vary from organizing book drives to counseling young mothers from the area. “It helps a lot of people,” Hargrove said. “Our motto is simple and sweet – serve the underserved.” Hargrove spends half her day as a case manager at the main campus and the other half as a counselor. Hargrove is the first social worker the Family Health Center has seen in 15 years. Along with counseling Waco area
LTH CENTER citizens, Hargrove organizes a coat drive each winter and a book drive for their waiting area. Hargrove said the Family Health Center’s “need for resources is huge.”
Different volunteer opportunities are available around the health centers, especially for students interested in the medical field. Tina Tran works with the health center to help supervise volunteers. Tran graduated in 2013 with a degree in Biology with Chemistry and Medical Humanities minors. Tran originally wanted to go straight to medical school, but began working at the Family Health Center after her mother survived a stroke in summer 2013. Now she serves at the Martin Luther King clinic, until she attends medical school in El Paso, Texas in the fall. Tran works as part of the Heart of Texas Community Health Corps, which is a health affiliated AmeriCorps program. Through the program, Tran supervises other volunteers and screens patients for potential health discounts. Through the health discount programs, Tran is able to help people who may not qualify for health insurance. Tran said the reason she enjoys working through the Health Corps with the Family Health Center is because of the mission of serving. “We don’t say we ‘work,’ we say we ‘serve,’” Tran said. Students are also able to volunteer for class credit. Tealia Morehead, a Medical Humanities major, volunteers with the Family Health Center at the 12th street clinic. As a volunteer, Morehead said her typical responsibilities change quickly, but she hopes to help the doctors and nurses as much as possible. “We head in with a service heart and do whatever they need us to do,” Morehead said. Morehead aims to eventually go into hospital administration, and said her time volunteering at the Family Health Center has made her realize there are more barriers to healthcare than meets the eye. She also said she thinks volunteering in pubic health is one of the best experiences any person who is interested in any sort of medicine could have. “It’s very humbling and empowering when you start at the bottom, everything you’ve done feels like a greater impact,” Morehead said.
1600 Providence Drive Waco, Texas 76707 254 . 313 . 4200
A note from Dr. Hugh Manatee
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MEDICAL HUMANITIES PROGRAM
Baylor University Waco, Texas 76706 254. 710. 2065