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Humanities

Penn State College of Medicine’s Department of Humanities has several initiatives that benefit students, faculty, staff and everyone at the Penn State College of Medicine campus. You can find links to some of their projects below.

Members of the Department of Humanities at Penn State College of Medicine include, front row from left, Martha Peaslee Levine, MD, Lynn Matincheck, Jennifer McCormick, PhD, Lori Gelatt, Rebecca Volpe, PhD; back row from left, Dan Shapiro, PhD, Michael Green, MD, Dennis Gingrich, MD, Benjamin Levi, MD, PhD, Lynette Chappell-Williams, BA, JD, Dan Wolpaw, MD, Joe Gascho, MD, Carly Smith, PhD, Danny George, PhD, Kimberly Myers, PhD, Cheryl Dellasega, CRNAP, PhD, Katherine Valenziano, DHM, MS, RN, LJ VanScoy, MD, Betsy Blyler, Paul Haidet, MD, Renee Stewart, Keeley McCue and Deb Tomazin. Not pictured are J.O. Ballard, MD, Claire de Boer and Margaret Hopkins.

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Humanities Projects

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Humanities Projects

iLook Out for Child Abuse Expand answer

iLook Out for Child Abuse

iLook Out for Child Abuse is an online mandated-reporter training that uses interactive videos to help early childhood professionals learn when and how to report suspected child abuse.

Learn more about iLook Out for Child Abuse

Physician Writers Group Expand answer

Physician Writers Group

Penn State Health’s Physician Writers Group is a workshop for clinicians who are interested in creative writing for publication in professional medical journals, hosted by Dr. Kimberly Myers, who holds a doctorate in literature.

Learn more about Physician Writers Group

The Doctors Kienle Center for Humanistic Medicine Expand answer

The Doctors Kienle Center for Humanistic Medicine

The Doctors Kienle Center for Humanistic Medicine is an endowment that supports projects and initiatives that promote compassion in healthcare settings. This work has flourished with the support of many departments and includes ambassadors from throughout the hospital, medical school and community.

Learn more about the Kienle Center

Wild Onions Expand answer

Wild Onions

Wild Onions is an annual journal of poetry, prose and visual art funded by The Doctors Kienle Center for Humanistic Medicine. All works in Wild Onions are created by members of the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center community. Most entries pertain to some dimension of medicine, but submissions are welcomed on all topics.

Learn more and submit to Wild Onions

Center Stage Expand answer

Center Stage

Center Stage enhances the healthcare experience by showcasing art, music and creative writing that calms, nurtures and inspires. Through Center Stage, we seek ways to enhance the well-being of individuals who come through our doors, whether they are patients, caregivers, employees or students.

Learn more about Center Stage

Upcoming Center Stage events are listed here.

Student Projects Expand answer

Graphic Narratives

Since 2009, fourth-year medical students at Penn State College of Medicine have created comics as part of a course called “Graphic Storytelling and Medical Narratives.” The course was developed to show students how graphics and text can be used to effectively communicate complex medical narratives and to help students develop their own stories into graphic depictions.

Learn more about Graphic Narratives

Patients as Teachers Project

Embedded into the first year of the MD student curriculum is the experiential Patients as Teachers Project, which involves students visiting patients in their homes to learn about the lived experience of illness. Some students make short films about their patients and screen them in each spring. Others write essays reflecting on what they have learned from their patients or develop creative projects to honor their patients’ stories.

Learn more about Patients as Teachers

Ethics Expand answer

Ethics Consultations

Clinical ethics consultation is one of many services that can help with difficult choices or when there are disagreements about a patient’s care. Most challenges that arise within patient care are handled by speaking with the medical team members directly involved in care, as well as social workers, clergy and the patient advocate for the hospital. When uncertainty or conflict remains, ethics consultations are sometimes requested.

Learn more about Ethics Consultations
(internal users only)

Ethics Pocket Cards

The ethics consultation service at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center developed ethics pocket cards to summarize, in a clear and accessible manner, core knowledge about clinical ethics. We hope that these cards will be helpful not only to individual health professionals, but also to institutions who may wish to develop similar materials for their own use.

Learn more about Ethics Pocket Cards

Lectures and Special Events Expand answer

History of Medicine Lectureship

This lectureship brings a nationally or internationally recognized leader in the history of medicine to Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center for an annual public lecture, which is open to all members of the Medical Center (including medical students, faculty and staff) and the surrounding community.

Email Claire De Boer for details

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