The Center’s mission is to:

• Achieve quality control for the Healer’s Art course both nationally and internationally;
• Promote the understanding and study of the short and long-range impact of the Healer’s Art course on participating students;
• Promote the understanding and study of the short and long-range impact of the Healer’s Art course on participating medical residents and other health professionals;
• Promote the understanding and study of the impact of the Healer’s Art course on course faculty;
• Support the dissemination of these findings to a national and international audience of medical educators;
• Promote collaborative community among faculty offering the Healer’s Art course nationally and internationally through research and presentations;
• Consult on ongoing research and publication at individual schools teaching the Healer’s Art course;
• Consult when requested on professional presentations and research efforts at individual schools teaching the Healer’s Art course;
• Serve as a clearinghouse for academic and professional presentations by Healer’s Art course directors and faculty;
• Further collaboration between schools teaching the Healer’s Art course on presentations to national meetings of professional societies;
• Gather annual standard evaluations from all schools teaching the Healer’s Art course and provide all schools yearly with detailed summaries of their student and faculty evaluations;
• Design and implement a progressive series of research projects on the national medical school experience with the Healer’s Art course.

CHSA Annual Outcomes Evaluation

In 2004, standardized student and faculty evaluation forms were developed and are used annually at all schools teaching The Healer’s Art course. The evaluation forms are updated and fine-tuned annually. The Center compiles the raw evaluations from each school and returns a detailed evaluation summary to each course director for submission to the Curriculum Dean (and/or curriculum committee) at their school. The evaluation summary of each participating school is reviewed annually by the Healer’s Art Director and Associate Director and consultation offered when necessary.

CHSA Research Projects

Collaboration in research is highly encouraged as data are strengthened in studies across schools while replication of research efforts can diminish the chances of successful publication for any individual researcher. Annually, the Director of the CSHA communicates with all course directors to orient them to the ongoing Healer’s Art course evaluation and research projects. Throughout the year, the Director collaborates and consults with course directors pursuing both formal and informal academic presentations and projects around their local Healer’s Art course. Additionally, Healer’s Art course directors are invited to attend course director gatherings for community building and support at various national medical education conferences.

Placing articles in professional journals has proved highly useful in enabling national faculty to gain attention and approval for implementing the Healer’s Art course from the Dean of Students and the Curriculum Committee at their schools. In addition, publication in the medical literature and presentations at national medical conferences has proven to be an effective way to attract additional schools and faculty to the training program.

Completed Projects

Medical Student Deformation: The Repression of Personal Values and Attributes in Medical Education. Summary of quantitative course evaluation data from students in the United States. Abstract submitted for presentation at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.

The Formation of Authentic Community as an Educational Strategy for Professional Development and Identity. Formal qualitative analysis of narrative evaluation responses from Healer’s Art course students around meaning and professionalism. (Rabow MW, Remen RN, Parmelee DX, Inui TS. “Professional Formation: Extending Medicine’s Lineage of Service into the Next Century.” Academic Medicine. 2010;85:310-317)

The Promise of Professionalism: Mission Statements Among a National Cohort of Healer’s Art Medical Students. Formal qualitative analysis of Healer’s Art student mission statements. (Rabow M, Wrubel J, Remen R. “The Promise of Professionalism: Mission Statements Among a National Cohort of Healer’s Art Medical Students.” Annals of Family Medicine. 2009;7:336-342)

Professional Formation in Undergraduate US Medical Education: Review of the concept of professional formation and summary of major curricula and programs in professional formation in US schools of medicine, including a focus on the Healer’s Art course as an exemplar. Recommendations for curricular and institutional goals and future developments in professional formation. (Rabow M, Wrubel J, Remen R. “Authentic Community as an Educational Strategy in Professionalism: A National Evaluation of The Healer’s Art Curriculum.” Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2007;22:1630-1)

Projects in Progress

Absent from School: One Quality Healer’s Art Students are Wary about Showing In Medical School: Formal quantitative and qualitative analysis of Healer’s Art student responses to the question “Please make a drawing of a part of yourself that you are wary about showing or actually do not let show in medical school. Perhaps this is a part that you feel has no place here or a part you may not feel comfortable showing to others in a professional context. This may even be an aspect of yourself that you feel may be changed or diminished by your medical training. If your drawing was a symbol for a human characteristic or quality, what would that human characteristic or quality be? Please write the word for that human characteristic or quality on your drawing.” Data from approximately 700 students undergoing final data analysis.

A Comparison of Demographic Characteristics: Statistical analysis of similarities and differences between students who elected to take the Healer’s Art at UCSF and those who did not, focusing on basic demographic characteristics (including age, gender, and ethnicity) and attitudes about training in end-of-life care. Results presented nationally and currently being prepared for publication.

Teaching the Healer’s Art: A mixed quantitative and qualitative evaluation of Healer’s Art course faculty nationally from the 2009-10 academic year. The evaluation includes a focus on faculty experiences teaching in the Healer’s Art course and any impact of these experiences on faculty relationships with learners both within and beyond the Healer’s Art.

Publications

To read other published articles about The Healer’s Art Course, click here.