Humanistic Medicine

As a committee, we advocate for:

• Healing
• Community / Support
• Creative Expression
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine Education

Our mission is to raise awareness of the physician-activist's right to be strong and centered within our demanding profession. We believe that our own good health is essential to our ability to enact change in medical practice and in the world. We are dedicated to focusing medical care on the needs of each individual patient. We advocate for patients and developing-physicians who consider healing to be a sacred, interpersonal experience between mindful and authentic human beings. Our action projects and programming strongly emphasize and celebrate the human's ability to heal one's self and one another through understanding, community, creativity, personal reflection, and a connection with human heritage and the earth (CAM).

GET INVOLVED

Complementary & Alternative Medicine

• CAM Annual Leadership Training Program
  Rhinebeck, NY * May 2008
  
  
• Educational Development for CAM
  
  
• ICAM Resource Center

HuMed Retreats

• National Circle of Healer's Retreat
  January 16-18, 2009
  
  
• Spirituality in Medicine Leadership Institute
  February 13-15, 2009
  
  
• Humed Retreat Planning Resources

HEART: Humanistic Elective in alternative medicine, Activism & Reflective Transformation

• Accredited Rotation for 4th Year Medical Students
  March 30-April 24, 2009

Creative Expressions

• The Healer's Voice
  AMSA's Online Arts Journal for Physicians, Medical and Premedical Students
  
  
• The New Physician Magazine Article Archives - Creative Expressions

Local Projects

• HuMed Projects at the Local Chapter
• AMSA's Worldwide Local Project Directory
• Local Project Grants

RESOURCES

• The New Physician Magazine Article Archives - Humanistic Medicine
  
  
• Health Policy on Humanistic Medicine
  
  
• Medical Student Well Being
  
  
• AMSA HuMed Recommended Reading List
  
  
• Ephemeris Online Mentoring and Journaling Project
  
  
• Robert Wood Johnson Preventive Medicine Annotated Bibliography: "Promoting Healthy Behaviors" (PDF)
  
  
• Wellness Resource Guide for Medical Students (PDF)
  Discusses sleep, stress management, nutrition, exercise and more. 1997
  
  
• Healing the Healer: Developing Your Own Health Plan
  
  
• Medical School Survival Tips
  
  
• Brewing an Affordable Health Care Clinic (3.2MB PDF)
  by Andru Ziwasimon, 2006 AMSA National Convention
  
  
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine Project-in-a-Box
  
  
• Medical Students for Earth: Environmental Health Activism for Medical Students (PDF)
  Environmental health projects that can be done by groups or individuals. Includes resources and contact organizations. 1997
  
  
• TheRightBrain: creative works of the medical profession
  
  
• Peacework: Opportunities for Medical Students in Peace Promotion (PDF)
  Internships, rotations and volunteer experiences in violence prevention, refugee health and human rights facilitation. 1997
  
  
• Humanistic Medicine Reading List
  
  
• Between Heaven and Earth: An Introduction to Various Philosophies and Approaches to Medical Care (PDF 303KB)
  Discusses widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine in the U.S., with information on acupuncture and doctor-patient dialogue. 1998
  
  
• Complementary Therapies Primer (PDF)
  Describes various holistic modalities, many of which are now complementing mainstream medicine. 1995
  
  
• Health Dialogues
  Behaviors, identified in Healthy People 2010, that contribute to the majority of U.S. morbidity and mortality: Nutrition, Tobacco Use, Physical Activity