Katherine Swan Ginsburg Humanism in Medicine Program
Award and Lecture Series
The Katherine Swan Ginsburg Award and Annual Lecture has been an integral part of the the medical residency experience at BIDMC since 1993.
In Memory of Katherine Swan Ginsburg
This important award honors the memory of Katherine Swan Ginsburg, once a house officer here at BIDMC who died of cancer at the age of 34, not long after completing her training. Katherine, whose mastery of medical knowledge and technical competence were outstanding, was also widely admired for her extraordinary compassion and selfless dedication in caring for her patients.
Thanks to a generous gift from her family and loved ones, we continue to celebrate Katherine's life, by recognizing a graduating senior resident who, as selected by his or her peers, best exemplifies Katherine's inspiring personal attributes, and by convening a Grand Rounds lecture by a prominent speaker on a theme relating to humanism in medicine.
Humanism and Medicine Program
In 2008, the Katherine Swan Ginsburg Humanism in Medicine Program was created to:
- Further foster in all of us the values and ideals Katherine embodied.
- Help improve the quality of life of our house staff.
- Develop a formal curriculum that addresses emerging formally-defined core competencies for physicians relating to professionalism, ethics, and humanistic values as set out by the ACGME, state and national medical professional organizations, and other groups involved in medical education, accreditation, and licensure.
Program Features
Faculty Award
In addition to the annual house staff Katherine Swan Ginsburg Award and Annual Lecture, our new Program will also feature an annual Katherine Swan Ginsburg Faculty Award for a faculty member who, in the eyes of the house staff, demonstrates and models the same humane qualities Katherine displayed.
Fellowship
This program also features an annual Fellowship with financial support in the amount of $2,500 for a senior resident to complete a scholarly project relating to humanism in medicine.
Lecture Series
In addition, this program will feature an expanded Katherine Swan Ginsburg lecture series, which will feature outstanding speakers in the realm of the medical humanities on a quarterly basis.
Program Leadership
The Program will work closely with the Internal Medicine Residency Program under the leadership of Dr. Eileen Reynolds, the Ethics Service headed by Dr. Lachlan Forrow, and other humanities oriented resources at BIDMC.
The Program also now supports a Faculty Director, Dr. Rafael Campo, who coordinates the Awards series, develops humanism in medicine curricula including the expanded Lecture series, supervises the Fellowship, and serves as a resource to house staff in cultivating such activities as a reflective writing group, community service projects, "poetry on rounds," and a medical humanities book club.
Support from Donors
We also hope to continue growing the Program in the future, through seeking additional financial support from donors. We are grateful for the support of the many people listed here whose generosity has ensured that empathy, compassion, and service remain at the heart of medicine, no matter what challenges posed by the growth of technology, the pressures of financial constraints, or the complexities of cross-cultural encounters. We know Katherine would not want it any other way.
Past Lecturers
- 2009: Anthony Back, M.D. “Using Communication to Bring Compassion to the Bedside”
- 2008: Timothy Quill, M.D. “Compassion, Hope, and Reality: Facing Death with Patients and Their Families”
- 2007: Bob Arnold, M.D. “Doctors’ Feelings: What They Tell Us and How They Can Help Us”
- 2006: Aaron Lazare, M.D. “On Apology”
- 2005: Michael LaCombe, M.D. “The Family History”
- 2004: Atul Gawande, M.D., Ph.D “Curiosity: On Questions that can’t be Answered w/ a Randomized Trial”
- 2003: Abraham Verghese, M.D. “Physician, Heal Thyself”
- 2002: Lachlan Forrow, M.D. “Reverence for Life and the Lives of Residents”
- 2001: Edmund D. Pellegrino, M.D. “Professing Medicine – What Does It Mean Morally”
- 2000: Robert Coles, M.D. “Literature and Medicine”
- 1999: Jerome Groopman, M.D. “Weaving Science and The Soul”
- 1998: Myles N. Sheehan, M.D. “Sacred Texts, Trout Streams, and Patients: Learning to Read”
- 1997: Paul Farmer, M.D., Ph.D. “Inequalities and Outcomes: The Promise and the Challenge”
- 1996: Matt Liang, M.D., M.P.H. “Being Close or Distant: Dealing with Human Tragedies”
- 1995: Suzanne Fletcher, M.D., M.S.C. “On Being a Doctor”
- 1994: Martin Adson, M.D. “How to Care: The Operative Virtues”
- 1993: Jeromy Swan (Kathy’s father) “Lament for a Doctor”
Past Award Recipients
- 2009: Heidi Blake, MD
- 2008: Jillian Catalanotti, MD
- 2007: Amy Slansky, MD
- 2006: Alena Goldman, MD
- 2005: Himani Chandra, MD
- 2004: Elizabeth Sastre, MD
- 2003: Jennifer Ting, MD
- 2002: Kristin O’Neil, MD
- 2001: Jenny Jen-Yi Lin, MD
- 2000: Julius Yang, MD
- 1999: Radhika Ramanan, MD
- 1998: Preetha Basaviah, MD
- 1997: Wanita Kumar, MD
- 1996: Shahin Lockman, MD
- 1995: Andrew S. Blum, MD
- 1994: John E. Butter, MD
- 1993: Cynthia Thaik, MD
