Sharing a Seat at the Table – Where do we fit in?

When a person experiences illness, the impact can be far-reaching. Indeed, when we consider that person, their caretakers, loved ones, and providers, there become a great number of people who take ‘a seat at the table’. This session will explore the complex meshwork of narratives that can emerge from a single individual’s experience of illness. How do each of us shape the story? What might we be missing? The session aims to refine our own notions of the “actors“ present in the formulation of medical stories and empower the voices of those less recognized in the traditional patient-provider narrative.

Facilitator Bio

Alec Berman, B.A., is a second-year medical student at Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine. He is eager to bring open ears and a big heart to the field of medicine and the patients he will serve. Alec is passionate about relationship-building and believes that the power to listen to and recognize the meaning of patients’ stories lies at the crux of being a good doctor. He is also passionate about social drivers of health and food insecurity in particular. When taking a break from the books, Alec likes to blow off steam working on his partner’s farm, Heart & Spade Farms, which provides affordable, organic produce to hospital patients and medical trainees. Also playing with his energetic young dog, Patti Mae.

Rebecca Harrison, M.D., believes in the power of story to express experiences in healthcare and also to heal. She is inspired by the blending of art and science to tell our stories and believes in many paths to health and healing. She is a clinician educator, hospitalist, clerkship director and section chief in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. In these roles, she has a unique opportunity to create culture change and promote more compassionate medical care for diverse patients, providers and learners. Dr. Harrison has facilitated narrative medicine, reflection rounds and resiliency training skills within the OHSU School of Medicine. She has published a variety of articles on medical education, hospital medicine and part-time careers and has presented at local, national and international venues on a variety of medical education and faculty wellness topics.

Event Details

June 23, 2020
6:30-8:30 pm
Online