Health And The Human Spirit
We take our definition of health from a AAMC Task Force Report in 1999: “Health is not just absence of disease, but a state of well-being that includes a sense that life has purpose and meaning.”
Through lectures, grand rounds, problem-based learning and clinical clerkships, students are introduced to cross-cultural, spiritual and religious aspects of patient care. They learn to identify when a patient’s spirit—defined as passion, belief, and meaning in life—may need healing as part of the healing of the body.
The John P. McGovern, M. D. Center for Health, Humanities, and the Human Spirit is pioneering a new interventional and research project, Sacred Vocation. Sacred Vocation is directed at health care workers in community and hospital settings.
The intervention aims to connect caregivers more deeply to their work, enhance their capacity to heal, and remove structural obstacles in the workplace. Led by Dr. Ben Amick, from the School of Public Health and Dr. Sam Karff, Associate Director of the Center, Sacred Vocation is now embarking on a multi-year collaboration with Episcopal Charities.
