What is narrative medicine? Sayantani DasGupta, a teacher of narrative medicine at Columbia University, defines narrative medicine as “the clinical and scholarly endeavor to honor the role of story in the healing relationship.” And from the The Principles and Practice of Narrative Medicine: “To develop deep and accurate attention to the accounts of self that are told and heard in the contexts of healthcare.”

Narrative Medicine Monday: Each Monday I’ll post a narrative medicine piece on this blog, a short discussion, a few questions and a related prompt. I hope this will provide a place for thoughtful reflection and discussion about medicine and how narrative medicine can help tell patient and provider stories in a meaningful way.

Narrative Medicine Journals

Intima: The narrative medicine online journal out of Columbia University.

Hektoen International: A journal of medical humanities.

Pulse: Narrative medicine poems and essays, published weekly.

Bellevue Literary Review: A literary journal focused on illness, health and healing.

Blood and Thunder: The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine’s humanities journal.

Hospital Drive: The literary and humanities journal of the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Narrative Medicine Community

Columbia University Division of Narrative Medicine: Graduate programs, workshops, and various lectures and events, all focusing on narrative medicine.

NYU Langone Division of Medical Humanities: Promotes the medical humanities through courses, a Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database, and, among other programs, an excellent weekly newsletter that highlights several narrative medicine pieces.

Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative: A diverse group of health care professionals, caregivers, patients and artists who have joined together to engage in conversation, create a community and explore narrative as it pertains to health, illness, and caretaking.

Health Story Collaborative: This organization’s goal is to keep the patient voice alive in healthcare by collecting, honoring, and sharing stories of illness and healing.

Literature & Medicine: Dr. Suzanne Koven is the Writer in Residence at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she facilitates the successful Literature & Medicine program. Dr. Koven is a writer and mentor and champion of medical humanities.

The Nocturnists: A live event series and podcast where health professionals share stories about life in medicine.

Medical Humanities Chat: Lively Twitter chats about different medical humanities topics, curated by medical resident Colleen Farrell. Many resources (including book recommendations!) on medhumchat.com. #medhumchat