The Medical Humanities Difference: Christian Students' Journeys to Serving Marginalized Communities in Health Care
Isabelle Russo and Aron Basurto, Baylor University, Waco, TX
Students from Medical Humanities undergraduate programs are encouraged to adopt an interdisciplinary lens when examining health care as future changemakers, both in practice and in policymaking. Baylor’s program uniquely offers students a Christian classroom environment, mentorship from clinical professors, and opportunities to witness disparities in health care access in the local community.
This workshop will focus on identifying key moments that have oriented undergraduate students towards serving marginalized communities. This beginning period of higher education provides a unique opportunity for those considering careers in health care to dually explore vocation as understood in the Christian tradition. Students from Baylor University’s Medical Humanities Program will delve into their respective journeys as they reflect on their motivations, experiences, and futures in advocacy at the margins. Conversations will draw on the impact of curriculum, context, and continued practices in their formation. These discussions will highlight the diversity of thought offered by an interdisciplinary, distinctly Christian program that equips students to transform health care in a range of careers. These Medical Humanities students merge classroom experience with exposure to real-world health care challenges that have shaped their understanding of social justice and health equity. By sharing their stories, they aim to highlight the transformative power of immersive education in fostering empathy and commitment to serving those who are often overlooked in the health care system.
Through this workshop, participants will be encouraged to consider their own narratives as they reflect on the roles of education and community engagement in their understanding of vocation. Ultimately, these students seek to explain the influence of Medical Humanities on their vocational journeys and to share practical ways to encourage future generations of health care innovators to seek and serve those at the margins.
This workshop will focus on identifying key moments that have oriented undergraduate students towards serving marginalized communities. This beginning period of higher education provides a unique opportunity for those considering careers in health care to dually explore vocation as understood in the Christian tradition. Students from Baylor University’s Medical Humanities Program will delve into their respective journeys as they reflect on their motivations, experiences, and futures in advocacy at the margins. Conversations will draw on the impact of curriculum, context, and continued practices in their formation. These discussions will highlight the diversity of thought offered by an interdisciplinary, distinctly Christian program that equips students to transform health care in a range of careers. These Medical Humanities students merge classroom experience with exposure to real-world health care challenges that have shaped their understanding of social justice and health equity. By sharing their stories, they aim to highlight the transformative power of immersive education in fostering empathy and commitment to serving those who are often overlooked in the health care system.
Through this workshop, participants will be encouraged to consider their own narratives as they reflect on the roles of education and community engagement in their understanding of vocation. Ultimately, these students seek to explain the influence of Medical Humanities on their vocational journeys and to share practical ways to encourage future generations of health care innovators to seek and serve those at the margins.