Celebration of Humanism

Humanism in Medicine Week

Each May, the legacy of Katherine Swan Ginsburg is honored through a week-long series of events that focus on the core values of the KSG Humanism in Medicine Program. Throughout the week, a variety of events are held to engage and inspire participants, including musical performances, art exhibitions, Medical Grand Rounds and more. These events serve as a reminder of the importance of compassionate care, arts and humanities, communication, collaboration, clinician well-being, and reflective practice, as well as a celebration of BIDMC's ongoing dedication to humanism in medicine.

Annual events include:

  • M&M: "Music & Musings" with musical performances and readings by medicine housestaff and an art exhibition highlighting paintings, photographs, sculptures and drawings created by residents.
    • M&M Video Recordings
    • Journal Club discussion session led by a member of the medicine housestaff
    • General Medicine Grand Rounds presentation
    • Medical Grand Rounds lecture delivered by a visiting professor
    • Caducean Lights, BIDMC's magazine of art and literature: the literary magazine was started by KSG ‘19-20 fellow Dr. Sami Pop and co-edited with KSG Director Dr. Jon Crocker, with its first annual issue in 2020 and second in 2021. The magazine is composed of original submissions related to a medical subject in the form of poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, photography, and visual art. Submissions were open to all employees across all departments at BIDMC.

Caducean Lights Previous Issues

Past KSG Grand Rounds

Each spring, we host an invited speaker to deliver Medical Grand Rounds on a timely and clinically-important topic related to humanism in medicine. Since 2013, these talks are available on video upon request. Please email Cheryl Wright for more information.

Past Speakers & Topics

2023 - Haider Warraich, MD
End of Life Care 2.0: Creating a Better Future for How We Die

2022 - Lisa I. Iezzoni, MD, MSc
Making Their Preferences for Care Happen: The Principle of Dignity of Risk

2021 - Louise Aronson, MD, MFA
Messaging Medicine: Using Stories, Media and Social Media to Improve Health and Healthcare

2020 - No Grand Rounds Due to COVID-19

2019 - Saul Weiner, MD
Contextualizing Medical Decisions to Individualize Care

2018 - Susan Block, MD
Translating Humanism into Action in Caring for the Seriously Ill

2017 - Julius Yang MD, PhD and Amber Moore, MD
Excerpts from a Work in Progress and Reflections on Humanism in Medicine

2016 - Steven Rosenzweig, MD
Arete (ἀρετή) – Virtue, Excellence, and Compassion

2015 - Mark Linzer, MD
Preventing Burnout, Preserving Humanism: Building a Sustainable Organizational Structure

2014 - Ellen Goodman
Have You Had the Conversation?

2013 - Charles J. Hatem, MD
Reflections on the Clinician's Journey

2012 - Geoff Ginsburg, MD
Convergence of a Legacy, Patient-Centeredness, and Biology: A 20 Year Journey

2011 - Judith S. Currier, MD, MSc
AIDS at Thirty: Reflecting Back and Looking Forward

2010 - Rafael Campo, MD
Cultural Competence: Poetry and the Importance of Voice in the Illness Experience

2009 - Anthony Back, MD
Using Communication to Bring Compassion to the Bedside

2008 - Timothy Quill, MD
Compassion, Hope, and Reality: Facing Death with Patients and Their Families

2007 - Bob Arnold, MD
Doctors' Feelings: What They Tell Us and How They Can Help Us

2006 - Aaron Lazare, MD
On Apology

2005 - Michael LaCombe, MD
The Family History

2004 - Atul Gawande, MD, PhD
Curiosity: On Questions that can't be Answered with a Randomized Trial

2003 - Abraham Verghese, MD
Physician, Heal Thyself

2002 - Lachlan Forrow, MD
Reverence for Life and the Lives of Residents

2001 - Edmund D. Pellegrino, MD
Professing Medicine - What Does It Mean Morally?

2000 - Robert Coles, MD
Literature and Medicine

1999 - Jerome Groopman, MD
Weaving Science and The Soul

1998 - Myles N. Sheehan, MD
Sacred Texts, Trout Streams, and Patients: Learning to Read

1997 - Paul Farmer, MD, PhD
Inequalities and Outcomes: The Promise and the Challenge

1996 - Matt Liang, MD, MPH
Being Close or Distant: Dealing with Human Tragedies

1995 - Suzanne Fletcher, MD, MSC
On Being a Doctor

1994 - Martin Adson, MD
How to Care: The Operative Virtues

1993 - Jeremy Swan
Lament for a Doctor

KSG Awardees

The Katherine Swan Ginsburg Faculty Award and Katherine Swan Ginsburg Resident Award are given annually to a member of faculty and a senior resident who exemplify Dr. Ginsburg's values of compassionate patient-centered care. Awardees are chosen by medicine housestaff.

Faculty Awardees

2010: Julie Knopp RN, MSN
2011: Michael Curry, MD
2012: Peter Clardy, MD
2013: Heidi Blake, MD
2014: Mary Buss, MD
2015: Lachlan Forrow, MD
2016: Julius Yang, MD, PhD
2017: Jonathan Crocker, MD
2018: Pablo Quintero Pinzon, MD
2019: Wendy Stead, MD
2020: David Cheng, MD
2021: Emmanuel Mensah, MD
2022: Matthew Weinstock, MD
2023: Page Widick, MD

Resident Awardees

1993: Cynthia Thaik, MD
1994: John E. Butter, MD
1995: Jon S. Blum, MD
1996: Shahin Lockman, MD
1997: Wanita Kumar, MD
1998: Preetha Basaviah, MD
1999: Radhika Ramanan, MD
2000: Julius Yang, MD
2001: Jenny Jen-Yi Lin, MD
2002: Kristin O’Neil, MD
2003: Jennifer Ting, MD
2004: Beth Ann Sastre, MD
2005: Himani Chandra, MD
2006: Alena Goldman, MD
2007: Amy Slansky, MD
2008: Jillian Catalanotti, MD
2009: Heidi Blake, MD
2010: Joseph Wright, MD
2011: Grace Farris, MD
2012: Amber Moore, MD, MPH
2013: Elizabeth Housman, MD
2014: Jonah Cohen, MD
2015: Sarah Lieber, MD
2016: Lika Targan, MD
2017: James Parris, MD
2018: Kathleen Leahy, MD
2019: Alison Trainor, MD
2020: Samantha Pop, MD, and Jonathan Berry, MD
2021: Brooke Lubinski, MD
2022: Kate Ituarte, MD
2023: Antea DeMarsilis, MD