The panel considers deliberate practice, role models, mentorship and community. Research findings are preliminary and subject to study-design and self-selection limitations.

Chapters
0:00 Podcast intro
0:29 Welcome and panel introduction
4:42 Michael Egan: character, virtue and flourishing
14:45 Katie Rowland: humility and local chapter life
21:52 Christopher Noda: studying the curriculum
35:10 Michael Egan: implementing a local chapter
37:31 Q&A: religious inclusivity and self-selection
42:39 Q&A: voluntary versus required curriculum
50:00 Q&A: formation during clinical years
53:37 Q&A: institutional pressures and wellness
58:27 Audience reflection: theater and ethics education
1:01:14 Podcast outro

Recommended readings and resources
Tyler J. VanderWeele, “On the promotion of human flourishing” (PNAS, 2017): https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702996114
Jubilee Centre Framework for Character Education in Schools: https://www.jubileecentre.ac.uk/character-education-/the-jubilee-centre-framework-for-character-education-in-schools/
The Hippocratic Society: Humility resources: https://hippsoc.org/virtues/humility

References/Further Reading:

Virtues in the Medical Practice, Thomasma and Pellegrino

The Not-My-Problem Problem, Lisa Rosenbaum

Integrity, Damian Cox, Marguerite La Caze, and Michael Levine

⁠Mature Care and the Virtue of Integrity⁠, Vigdis Ekeberg

Review of "Integrity and the Virtues of Reason", Andrea Westlund

(Integrity and the Virtues of Reason, Greg Sherkoske)

Join us as we discuss the mindful approach to treating patients and how our practice of presence can help us in and out of the hospital.

References/Further Reading:

• "What is clinician presence? A qualitative interview study comparing physician and non-physician insights about practices of human connection," Brown-Johnson et al. (2019) - British Medical Journal

• "Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators," Basso et al. (2019)

• "Patient as Gift: Understanding the Clinical Relationship," Dugdale (2020)

• "Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being," Emmons & McCullough (2003)

• "Mindfulness, APA Dictionary of Psychology," VandenBos (Ed.) (2007)

• "Practices to Foster Physician Presence and Connection With Patients in the Clinical Encounter," Zulman et al. (2020)

• "Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: evidence of brief mental training," Zeidan et al. (2010)

• "The Neuroscience of Gratitude and Effects on the Brain," Chowdhury (2019)

References/Further Reading:

The Positive Impact of Family Life on Physician Well-Being, Elizabeth Landry

Physicians and their primary relationships: How to be successful in both personal and professional realms, Gordon Cochrane

Doctors and their families, Susan Benbow

Medical Marriages, Jennifer Casaletto and Gillian Shmitz

Join us as we discuss with Dr. Kristin Collier the place of medical wisdom in healthcare today and why we need the humanities to bring flourishing to medicine.

Further Reading/References

Practical wisdom in medicine through the eyes of medical students and physicians, Lauris C Kaldjian, John Yoon, Tavinder K Ark, Laura Shinkunas, Fabrice Jotterand

What is medicine for?, Kristin Collier

The Rock, T.S. Eliot

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man, Abraham Heschel

Why Conscience Matters: A Defense of Conscientious Objection in Healthcare, Xavier Symons

In this episode, we explore reflection as key to the practice good medicine, revealing how this simple habit is crucial to personal and professional growth, identity formation, and flourishing.

Further Reading/References

Physician Resilience: What It Means, Why It Matters, and How to Promote It, Ronald M. Epstein and Michael S. Krasner (2013), Academic Medicine
link

Cultivating the Inner Life of a Physician Through Written Reflection, Andrea Vicini, Allen F. Shaughnessy, and Ashley P. Duggan (2017), Annals of Family Medicine
link

Slow Medical Education, Richard M. Frankel and Howard S. Beckman (2015), Academic Medicine
link

Mindful Practice, Ronald M. Epstein (1999), Journal of the American Medical Association
link

Integrity and the Virtues of Reason: Leading a Convincing Life, Greg Scherkoske (2013), Cambridge University Press
link

References:

Pew Research Center, November, 2021, “What Makes Life Meaningful? Views From 17 Advanced Economies”

Harvard Study of Adult Development

Good genes are nice, but joy is better

Through a compelling patient story and reflections on suffering, virtue, and moral imagination, they offer insights into cultivating compassion even in the most challenging clinical situations. Tune in for a thoughtful conversation on how to grow in empathy and care for patients with greater depth and purpose.

Further Reading/References

Are You Experiencing Compassion Fatigue, Rebecca A. Clay (2020), American Psychological Association

Compassion in Healthcare: An Updated Scoping Review of the Literature, Malenfant S, Jaggi P, Hayden KA, Sinclair S (2022), BMC Palliative Care, 21(1):1-28

The Anfortas Question, M.S. Sanatani (2010), Canadian Medical Association Journal, 182(11)

The Philosophy of Medicine Reborn: A Pellegrino Reader, Edmund D. Pellegrino (2008), University of Notre Dame Press

The Rebirth of the Clinic: An Introduction to Spirituality in Health Care, Daniel P. Sulmasy (2006), Georgetown University Press

The Tamworth Reading Room (from Discussions and Arguments), John Henry Newman (1841), Longmans, Green & Co.

Physician Burnout: Its Origin, Symptoms, and Five Main Causes, Dike Drummond, MD (2015), Family Practice Management, 22(5):42-47

Practicing Medicine and Ethics: Integrating Wisdom, Conscience, and Goals of Care, Lauris C. Kaldjian (2014), Cambridge University Press

Resident and Fellow Well-Being: Everything You Need to Know About Resident and Fellow Burnout, My Well-Being Index (n.d.), MyWellBeingIndex.org

⁠The True Value of Reframing⁠, OptimalWork

Join us as with discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Fabrice Jotterand, a leading bioethicist at Oregon Health and Science University.

Check out his edited book on this topic: The Routledge Handbook of the Ethics of Human Enhancement (Routledge, 2023).

References in the show:

On the promotion of human flourishing, Tyler VanderWeele

Activities for Flourishing: An Evidence-Based Guide, Tyler VanderWeele

Flourishing Definition, Encyclopedia.com

Harvard Human Flourishing Program

In this episode, we discuss these important questions with Wes Ely, a critical care physician responsible for changing the face of ICU care in the U.S. Join us as we reflect on how we can flourish in our own suffering and by responding to that of others.

How can physicians be hopeful in the face of rising distrust in practitioners, bureaucratic pressures, time constraints, and the looming force of artificial intelligence? How can moral friendship sustain us? Drawing from philosophers and artist alike, Frush and Eberly offer a look at what it might mean to practice hope as a clinician.

Join us as we discuss with Dr. Margaret Chisholm how art can deepen moral imagination in healthcare and why it is essential to the practice of compassionate medicine. Dr. Chisholm is a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins and a leader in integrating the humanities into medical training.

Further Reading/References

The Paul McHugh Program for Human Flourishing

References/Further Reading:

What it Means to be Human⁠, Carter Snead

The Virtuous Physician: The Role of Virtue in Medicine, James A. Marcum

The Time-Block Planner: A Daily Method for Deep Work in a Distracted World, Cal Newport

The Virtues in Medical Practice, Edmund Pellegrino & David Thomasma

Humble: The Quiet Power of an Ancient Virtue, Daryl van Tongeren

The Neuroscience of Growth Mindset and Intrinsic Motivation, Betsy Ng

• Growth Mindset Podcast, Andrew Huberman.

Join John and Michael as they discuss the virtue of hope in medicine, addressing these questions and much more.

This discussion previews some of the topics that will be covered at the Hippocratic Society National Conference in Houston, June 5-7. Check out the website to find out more.

Did you know the Hippocratic Society podcast is a video podcast? Check out our Youtube channel for our video podcast episodes and more!

Check out Dr. Curlin's book:

The Way of Medicine: Ethics and the Healing Profession

by Farr Curlin and Christopher Tollefsen

Other articles/references:

Physician burnout rate drops below 50% for first time in 4 years (AMA)

What the AMA learned about burnout in 2023 (Beckers' ASC)

40% of doctors eye exits. What can organizations do to keep them? (AMA)

Join us as we delve into the personal journeys of our guests, examine the concept of "professionalism," and explore the ideal physician, including the role of the moral and spiritual dimensions in medical practice.

Our discussion touches on the historical and cultural factors that have contributed to the evolution of the modern physician as well as the challenges of cultivating a deeper sense of meaning in medicine.

References

• Berger, P. L. The homeless mind. 1973
• Bishop, J. P. The anticipatory corpse. 2011
• Buchanan, M. The rest of God. 2007
• Hauerwas, S. Suffering presence. 1986
• Kinghorn, W. A. Medical education as moral formation. 2010
• Kinghorn, W. A., McEvoy, M. D., Michel, A., & Balboni, M. The emperor has no clothes. 2007
• Kinghorn, W. A. Against the Moral/Medical Divide. 2024
• Marti-Ibáñez, F. To be a doctor. 1960
• May, W. F. The physician's covenant. 1983
• McKenney, G. P. (Ed.). To relieve the human condition. 1997
• Pellegrino, E. D., & Thomasma, D. C. The practice of medicine. 1981

• Optimal Work, Kevin Majeres
• Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative

Is hope an emotion? Is it a virtue? Can we deliberately foster hope in our own lives, in our patients, and in medical practice as a whole? Dr. Postell addresses these questions through a variety of lenses, drawing mainly from the philosophical and psychological framework of Thomas Aquinas.

References/Further Reading:

What it Means to be Human, Carter Snead

After Virtue, Alasdair MacIntyre

Enough: the failure of the living will, Angela Fagerlin, Carl E Schneider

Taking Care, President's Council on Bioethics

President's Council on Bioethics

Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?, Michael Sandel