Transformational Times
Words of Hope, Character & Resilience from our Virtual Community
Friday, September 24, 2021
In This Special Human Flourishing Issue:
Guest Directors' Corner

Perspective/ Opinion

Take 3

Poetry Corner
Your Turn

Announcements & Resources
  • Submit a speaker proposal to the Kern Institute Event Advisory Committee
  • Kern Institute Connection Café: "You Are Fine, How Am I?!" Practical Strategies for Recognizing and Responding to Mental Health Issues Within Yourself and Others
  • Kern Institute Collaboration for Scholarship Journal Club
  • Med Moth Fall Event
  • Kern Grand Rounds - Value-Added Medical Education: Reimagining Learner Roles
  • Kern National Network News & Events
Guest Directors' Corner

In Search of Human Flourishing


By Chris Stawski, PhD; and Jeff Fritz, PhD

Drs. Stawski and Fritz dive into the meaning of “flourishing” and its special place in medical education. The Flourishing Index measures six specific domains of life, areas that educators must understand, measure, and cultivate if our future physicians will remain healthy …
 
 
When we think of the term “flourishing,” images of plants come to mind more readily than images of people. In many ways, it’s easier to assess if a plant is flourishing. Does it have enough water, sunlight, and space? A plant’s leaves, its ability to flower or fruit, and other external clues tend to provide relatively quick and often accurate assessment regarding the flourishing or languishing state of a plant or its ecosystem.
Perspective/Opinion

How Focusing on Human Flourishing Can Impact Physician Education and, Ultimately, Patient Care


By Arthur R. Derse, MD, JD, FACEP

Dr. Derse, a physician, bioethicist, and participant in the Kern Philosophies of Medical Education Transformation Laboratory (P-METaL), describes “human flourishing,” and how it can impact the next generation of physicians …


I learned of human flourishing in a university philosophy class. I realized it was an important, natural, and perhaps self-evident concept, but I never heard it used in my medical education or training. I surmise that many physicians in current practice have had the same experience. The cognate for “flourishing” is a flowering, signifying a growing into natural fullness for any living entity including—and especially—human beings. VanderWeele1 has defined human flourishing as “human well-being… including mental and physical health, but also encompassing happiness and life satisfaction, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships.”
Perspective/Opinion


The Medical Humanities and Practical Wisdom in Medical Education

By Quinn McKinnon, MA


Mr. McKinnon writes about how incorporating the humanities into medical education can expand a student’s viewpoint, allowing them to better understand the value of ambiguity and the importance of experiential learning …


A word from the (not so) wise
 
As a 26 -year-old medical student, I have been fortunate to have a diverse range of experiences over a short period of time, including coursework in the humanities, where the Aristotelian notion of “practical wisdom,” or phronesis, is most frequently grappled with. I see myself as the beneficiary of others wiser than myself (I’ll gladly take it). In lieu of this, I offer the anecdote of how I came to appreciate the humanities as an undergraduate student and endorse some of the field’s more salient benefits. Finally, I’ll apply my understanding of the notion of practical wisdom to our current state of medical education.
Perspective/Opinion



How Does Good Character Lead to Practical Wisdom?


By Ryan Spellecy, PhD; and Chris Stawski, PhD

In this essay, Drs. Spellacy and Stawski share that practical wisdom is the most important skill or virtue we can possess, and why this is important in medical education …


Since its inception, the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education has been committed to advancing the role of character in medicine and medical education. We (the authors) have had the privilege of contributing to the progress of the Institute’s work, including creating a consensus on the definition of character in medical education, presenting at national meetings, and most importantly, engaging in meaningful, satisfying, and challenging conversations with you, all around character and the cultivation of character strengths. We have contributed, along with others, to incorporating character into the Kinetic³ teaching academy, the Transformational Ideas Initiative, grand rounds and coursework in both the medical school and graduate school.
Perspective/Opinion


One Call, That's All?

By Fabrice Jotterand, PhD, MA




In this essay, Dr. Jotterand reminds us that medicine, as a calling, involves science, art and virtue, and that, while quick slogans might convey messages in advertising, the development of practical wisdom in a physician does not follow the same reductionist pathway …


For those living in Milwaukee, it is difficult not to associate the slogan “One call, that’s all!” with personal injury attorney David Gruber. The motto airs on TV and radio stations daily and is often used jokingly among friends to convey the hefty implications of one simple call to a lawyer if something happened as the result of reckless behavior. This catchy phrase communicates a sense of ease in addressing complex legal issues through a simple call. Would the same slogan be suitable for physicians to advertise healthcare services? “Hypertension? Diabetes? One call, that’s all! We will help you manage your blood pressure or sugar level!”
Perspective/Opinion



The Surprising Benefits of Mattering and Compassion

By Karen Marcdante, MD



Dr. Marcdante shares that the brief, compassionate moments where physicians acknowledge others and intentionally recognize the other person’s value pay benefit for both the patient and the doctor …


When I think of flourishing, I think of gardens. All those beautiful flowers and plants and, when well designed, they offer a changing vista of color and shapes that bring you joy throughout the seasons. If any of you garden, you know, however, that there are all those weeds to manage, as well. It’s a lot of work, pulling weeds, pruning, and cutting things back, all to get a flourishing garden. It is ultimately worth it to see a thing of beauty and know that you had a hand in it. 

But what does that have to do with the new focus on flourishing in the Kern Institute and here at MCW?  
Perspective/Opinion



The Parable of Dr. Benny: Yearning for Human Flourishing in the Practice of Medicine

By John Yoon, MD


Dr. Yoon writes about a young student, full of idealism and empathy, who finds himself disillusioned by medicine in a scenario that is all too common. He challenges the reader to better understand our trainees’ intrinsic motivations and to create healthy environments that encouraging flourishing …



Once upon a time, there was a young pre-med (let’s call him “Benny”) who wanted to become a flourishing practitioner in medicine. All his life, Benny was told tales of role model nurses and physicians who viewed their careers as fulfilling a divine calling—medical vocations placed in service of God and for the “least of these” in society. Indeed, the country where Benny’s parents immigrated from was one in which some of her national heroes were global health pioneers—clinicians motivated by their faith and a deep sense of calling in which they left comfortable careers back home in order to endure difficult living conditions in a foreign land. There in Benny’s country of origin, they worked tirelessly to build up from scratch the health care infrastructure of a war-torn, impoverished third-world country. So as part of his childhood instruction, Benny’s parents sent him to summer trips to the “motherland,” simply to visit the cemeteries where these clinical heroes were buried in honorable service of his “people.” So very quickly, Benny learned from his parents and his own moral community a tradition-specific vision of what it meant to be “the flourishing physician.” And so, inspired by these stories of medical heroism, Benny launched his journey into medicine.
Three questions for Jeff Amundson, PhD; and Lana M. Minshew, PhD


Institutional Citizenship, Equity and Flourishing

 
Drs. Amundson and Minshew explore how institutional policies and cultures that cut people off from participation can affect their opportunities to flourish …



Drs. Amundson and Minshew answer the following questions:

  • What is "institutional citizenship"?
  • Why is institutional citizenship important for societal flourishing?
  • What is institutional citizenship's role in medical education?
By Rabindranath Tagore

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth
and of death, in ebb and in flow.
I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.
The music in my head ranges from Finding Nemo (just keep swimming) to Eye of the Tiger to Frozen’s Let It Go, depending on the situation, difficulty of the OR case, time of day and items currently pending on the to-do list.

—Lindsey McAlarnen, MD, Fellow
My Power by Nija, Beyoncé and other collaborators from The Lion King: The Gift

—Shana Maker
Kings & Queens by Ava Max and Run the World (Girls) by Beyoncé. Both total jam about female strength!

—Anonymous Medical Student
This is a hard question, I feel as though depending on when you ask, it can vary. Lately, I would have to say Woman by Kesha. It is such an upbeat fun song with strong female empowerment. Listening to this song in the morning can get the day started on the right note.

—Angela, Staff
For this week's reflection prompt, please answer the following:


What is your favorite thing about fall?



The Kern Institute Event Advisory Committee invites you to
Submit a Speaker Proposal



The Kern Institute is working to transform medical education to better align with the needs of the public on the basis of character, competence, and caring. 

Please complete the form below if you have a speaker you would like to propose.
 
The Event Advisory Committee will review all proposals based on the following criteria: 

  • The speaker's qualifications
  • Timeliness of the topic
  • Relevance to the mission

If chosen, a committee member will extend the invitation to the speaker and open the line of communication. 

*Please Note: While we greatly appreciate your enthusiasm, please do not initiate correspondence with the speaker directly. This will ensure that expectations are clear and confusion or misunderstandings are averted.


Physician and Provider Wellness Webinar with Kern Visiting Scholar John Yoon, MD, and others
Connecting and reconnecting to your "why": Reigniting and keeping the flame alive



 

Objectives
At the end of this webinar, the participant will be able to:
 
•   Describe their purpose, their “why” for entering the medical profession.
•   Define the difference between “flourishing” and “surviving” in practice
•   List the services available to support ones’ connection to their strengths and purpose
October 1, 2021
Live via Teams Webinar
12:00 - 1:00 pm CT


Please Join Us
Kern Institute Connection Café:
"You Are Fine, How Am I?!" Practical Strategies for Recognizing and Responding to Mental Health Issues Within Yourself and Others
 

Presented by Himanshu Agrawal, MD, Sara Brady, MD, Cassie Ferguson, MD, and AODA Counselor Ms. Hilary Pick.
 
“How do two shrinks greet each other? You are fine, how am I?”

There is significant research that recognizes the low prevalence of self-care, and the high prevalence of ill health amongst health care professionals. Studies point to the potential contributory and protective factors related to resiliency and vulnerability, burnout and ‘thrivingness’, and anxiety as well as depression.

This Connection Café event will provide a safe, intimate setting for participants to engage with the panelists. Drawing from their individual experience and journeys, Dr. Agrawal will engage the panelists and audience members alike, to traverse biological, psychological, social, and existential realms with the overarching goal to identify practical strategies for recognizing and responding to mental health issues within oneself and others, as if one’s life depends on it. Because it does.
October 13, 2021
Live via Zoom
4:00 - 5:00 pm CT
Kern Institute Collaboration for Scholarship Journal Club


The KICS Journal Club for Medical Education meets monthly on the second Wednesday of the month via Zoom, 12:15–1:00 PM Central. The next meeting will feature Carla Spagnoletti, MD, MS, from the University of Pittsburg.


Interested individuals can join the meeting via Zoom using the link below, or email Michael Braun to be added to the meeting invite.

  
Meeting ID: 921 1154 0031 
Passcode: KICSJoClub 
October 13, 2021
Zoom Presentation
12:15 - 1:00 pm CT


Register for the Next MedMoth Event
October 14, 2021 at 6:00pm


MedMoth is designed to create a space for people to share their stories about their experiences in medicine and reflect on their purpose and meaning in pursuing this profession.
Everyone has personal stories worth sharing! Ex Fabula and the MCW MedMoth committee invite you to discover, shape and share personal stories about your experiences in the world of medicine. 
In these workshops, you will be guided by Ex Fabula coaches through a series of interactive activities - all in a low-pressure setting. Working in small groups, you’ll grow your storytelling skills and confidence. For this workshop, participants should have a story in mind that they’d like to work on – and then possibly share onstage at the October 14 MedMoth event. 
The Next Workshop is October 7, 2021, 5pm - 7pm with Ex Fabula
Location: HUB A1030 - Main Conference Room across from the HUB Cafe.
Attend the MedMoth Event
October 14, 2021
6:00 pm


2021 Professionalism Week
Kern Institute Grand Rounds
Value-Added Medical Education: Reimagining Learner Roles
 


While traditional clinical teaching activities such as taking a history, performing a physical exam, writing notes, and giving oral case presentations are clearly effective educational tools, they often lead to inefficiency and duplication of work. Meanwhile, gaps persist between current state and optimal state for patient care and learning outcomes.

This session will include a panel discussion of opportunities to creatively reimagine student roles on patient care teams and participant reflection on how key concepts might be implemented in their sphere of influence.

Panelists include:

Marty Muntz, MD (Lead)
Erica Chou, MD
Christopher Davis, MD
Catherine Ferguson, MD
John Hayes, DO
Lana Minshew, PhD
October 20, 2021
Live Virtual Panel Presentation
12:00 - 1:00 pm CT


Save the Date: KNN Discussion Series
Civic Responsibility: Medicine and Democracy
 

Although it is clear factors outside practice walls significantly affect health outcomes, it is less straightforward for healthcare learners and professionals to know what role, if any, to play in civic life and policy issues. To what extent should those in healthcare get involved—and how can they balance personal, professional and organizational values when they do?

In this discussion—moderated by Gregg Margolis, PhD, of the National Academy of Medicine—Drs. Abdul El-Sayed and Jasmine Zapata will share experiences, reflections and their responses to audience questions on navigating civic responsibility.
October 26, 2021
Live Virtual Event
4:00 - 5:00 pm CT
This series is presented by the Kern National Network for Caring & Character in Medicine through an investment from
the Kern Family Trust and Kern Family Foundation.
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