The poems in the following section were written by UW medical students during a clinical elective titled "The Brain, Grief, and the Healing Power of Poetry." This class was taught during the Spring 2020 quarter and hopefully will continue to be taught for future students.
This course enrolled a total of 23 medicals students from across the WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montanta, and Idaho) and was open to students in all years of training (MS1 - graduating MS4). This course was designed and developed by Tiffany Jenkins (a graduating MS4 and poet) with the assistance of Dr. Ginsberg (a retired neurologist/internist and poet who teaches a similar course to undergraduate students at UW). The course was originally designed to be an online module for the Humanities and the Arts Pathway. Due to the effects of COVID-19 on medical student education (UW medical students were taken out of clinical settings starting March 16th 2020 to protect their safety and preserve PPE, and all instruction shifted to an at-home zoom-based setting), the module was adapted to a 2 week zoom elective, with the help of Dr. Kalus (a faculty member at the school of medicine and adviser for the Humanities and the Arts Pathway) and Dr. Benji Perin (a third year dermatology resident who assisted with poetry workshops). During the elective students analyzed poetry written by physicians, patients, and caregivers on the theme of grief & they wrote and work-shopped their own poetry. Below are a few reflections written by Tiffany and Dr. Ginsberg about the creation of the course.
A few words from Tiffany Jenkins about the elective: It is my hope that this course served (and continues to serve) as a place of refuge, reflection, and inspiration for students that come after me. During medical school, students learn so many amazing things about life, disease, diagnosis, treatment, and death, but are rarely taught how to process and nurture the emotions that come up when experiencing the life and death circumstances of their profession. In medical school, students encounter the death and/or suffering of their patients, often for the first time, but are often given little to no time to reflect on the impact that has on them, let alone guidance in how to do so. Far too often students learn only to bury their emotions so that they can continue working, and over time this contributes to physician burn out and the high rates of physician suicide. It is my belief that burn out starts in medical school, and we can help combat this by teaching students how to process the grief that naturally occurs when dealing with death, disease, and suffering. As students read the poems in this course, I hope they found (and continue to find) comfort and healing in knowing that they are not alone; many medical students and physicians have faced similar experiences and also grieve for their patients. Additionally, I hope they walk away from this course knowing the grief they feel does not mean they are weak; in fact it is a strength that demonstrates that they are in touch with their humanity and truly care for their patients.This course was inspired by the many medical students I spoke to during my clinical years who like me didn’t know where to turn when they experienced difficult situations. I hope this course honors the unseen suffering of students, patients, physicians, and their families and inspires students to turn to art and create their own beautiful artwork.
A few words from Dr. Ginsberg about the elective: After 40 years of clinical internal medicine and neurology practice, and a longstanding love of writing poetry and the arts, it has been inspiring and a pleasure to work with Tiffany in the development of this course to educate and encourage aspiring young physicians to see the arts as complementary and not antithetical to the hard science of medicine. Poetry, as therapy for grieving in the face of devastating illness or poor outcomes has a longstanding record in the United States, introduced at the turn of the century, mainly in psychiatric hospitals, now in hospice settings as well, and is also a tool for retrospective reflection by physicians who are constantly challengedwith life and death scenarios and decisions. Relationship centered care involves complex interactions with patients and families, and it is our hope that in utilizing this course the student physician will be better able to express empathy, care for one’s own psyche, and help move from darkness to the light.
We hope you enjoy reading the poems that UW medical students wrote during this course. They are grateful for the opportunity to share their experiences.
About the Course Instructors:
Tiffany Jenkins: Tiffany Jenkins is a graduating 4th year medical student at the University of Washington. She will be joining the UW team as a family medicine resident physician in June 2020. Over the following 3 years, she will work at the UW Neighborhood Northgate Clinic and a number of Seattle area hospitals including UW - Montlake, UW - Northwest, Harborview, Seattle Children's, and the VA. Tiffany has a passion for the medical humanities. During medical school she founded the Medical Humanities and Narrative Medicine student interest group, and worked with faculty at the school of medicine to design and develop the Humanities and the Arts Pathway. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry, folding origami, making soaps and bath bombs, cuddling with her cat and dog, and exploring nature.
Dr. Arthur Ginsberg: Arthur Ginsberg is a neurologist and poet based in Seattle. He has studied poetry at the University of Washington and at Squaw Valley, with Galway Kinnell, Sharon Olds, and Lucille Clifton. Recent work appears in the anthologies, Blood and Bone, and Primary Care, from University of Iowa Press. He was awarded the William Stafford prize in 2003. He attained an MFA degree in creative writing in July 2010 from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon where he studied with Dorianne Laux, Marvin Bell and David St. John. His book, “The Anatomist”, was published in the summer of 2013. A second book, “Brain Works” has just been released by David Roberts Books. He currently teaches a course, titled, ”Brain and the Healing Power of Poetry” at the University of Washington.
Dr. Andrea Kalus: Dr. Kalus practices dermatology at the University of Washington and teaches clinical skills in the School of Medicine. She is passionate about interdisciplinary approaches with humanities disciplines, arts and medicine. A focused interest includes a collaboration of more than 10 years with an art educator teaching medical students using art observation. She is also the faculty adviser for the Seattle based pilot Humanities and the Arts Pathway.
Dr. Benji Perin: Benji Perin is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine and a third year dermatology resident at UW. Before medicine, he taught humanities to 9th and 10th graders for ten years. He loves to write poetry and served as an editor for the Journal of General Internal Medicine's medical humanities journal, The Living Hand, for several years in his medical training.