401 Narrative Medicine
Health, Wellness, Medici | Registration opens 4/15/25 9:00 AM EDT
Medicine is a narrative profession. This talk will present the idea that the narrative is disappearing in the practice of medicine and offer some ideas why. It will also cover narrative medicine as a philosophy of care based on the creation of an authentic connection between the story the patient tells and the one the physician hears. Finally, it will provide examples of the use of narrative medicine to teach patient care, expand medical knowledge, and promote interpersonal and communication skills. Class discussion is encouraged.
Ron Lands
Ron Lands, MD is a retired hematologist who grew up in east Tennessee. He is currently a part-time faculty member in the UT Department of Medicine teaching narrative medicine to medical students. He has practiced medicine for many years near the community where he grew up and was privileged to treat strangers, lifelong friends, and a few relatives. He has published short stories, poems, and essays in literary and medical journals. He has published two chapbooks of poetry, Final Path and A Gathering of Friends and a collection of short stories, The Long Way Home. Almost all of his writing originates from his experience in the clinic making his vocation and avocation blend nicely.