Narrative medicine is a holistic approach that recognizes the importance of people's stories and reflections as a way to promote healing. By addressing the relational and psychological dimensions that occur with illness, narrative medicine aims to both validate the experience of the patient and encourage creativity and self-reflection in the healthcare provider.
Narrative Medicine helps physicians, nurses, social workers, mental health professionals, chaplains, other healthcare professionals improve the effectiveness of care by approaching patients as individuals with stories, rather than focusing only on the signs and symptoms of the disease.
In this one-day intensive, students will learn the three tenants of narrative medicine: attention, representation and affiliation. Participants will also begin to develop skills in narrative competence, which is the ability to listen, absorb and be moved to action by stories of illness and wellness. The workshop will include didactic and small group active learning, and will incorporate close reading of texts, discussion and prompt writing.
Who should enroll?
Physicians, Nurses, PTs, OTs, Counselors, Social Workers, Psychotherapists, chaplains, and other healthcare professionals
The Instructors
Elizabeth Lahti, M.D., is a Portland-area hospitalist and writer. Dr. Lahti is Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine and the Director of Narrative Medicine in the YourMD curriculum transformation at Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine. 
Martha Driessnack, Ph.D., PNP-BC, is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with a background in art therapy and genetics. She believes both are important in gaining insight into the intergenerational nature of stories and storytelling. Martha's program of research focuses on the engagement of children in health-related research using novel, child-sensitive approaches to data collection. One such approach is the Draw-and-Tell Conversation (DTC), which she developed and continues to use with children as she explores their experiences and family stories. Of particular interest is her work with children related to understanding what “runs” in their family and how children learn about genetic/health risks.