A Story that Illustrates Humanism in Medicine: Humanity–Lost and Found

Abstract

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1988 to nurture and sustain the time-honored tradition of the compassionate physician. Today, students, residents, and faculty participate in at least one Gold Foundation program at 93% of our nation's medical schools and at schools abroad. Its programs and projects are derived from the beliefs that compassion and respect are essential to the practice of medicine and enhance the healing process; the habits of humanistic care can and should be taught; and medical role-models and mentor practitioners who embody humanistic values deserve support and recognition. In 1999, the Gold Foundation instituted the annual Humanism in Medicine Essay Contest as a way to encourage medical students to reflect on their experiences in writing. Since the contest's beginning, the Foundation has received over a thousand essays from more than 110 schools of medicine and osteopathy. The theme for the 2003 Humanism in Medicine Essay Contest was “A Story that Illustrates Humanism in Medicine.” Winning essays and honorable mentions were selected by a distinguished panel of judges. For the third year in a row, Academic Medicine is pleased to publish the top three winning essays from the contest; the essay by 2003's first-prize winner was published in the October 2004 issue. The essay by second-prize winner Anela Bonic appears here. The third-place essay will appear in the December issue. Winning essays are also published on the Foundation's Web site: 〈www.humanism-in-medicine.org〉 and in the Foundation's DOC newsletter. For further information, please call The Arnold P. Gold Foundation at 201-567-7999 or e-mail: 〈[email protected]〉.