Medical Humanities Events and Activities

Events & Activities

Find out what we get up to!

Illness Narratives: The Power of Stories & Creative Writing

7 March 2025

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This half-day workshop is organised by the Medicine ACP Office of Medical Humanities in collaboration with School of Humanities, Nanyang Technological University. Through the workshop, participants will gain a deeper understanding of film narratives, creative writing, close reading and textual analysis. Attendees will cultivate an awareness of the subtle nuances inherent in analysing film and creative writing, while also understanding the importance of shared experience across various practical scenarios

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

Explore film narratives and creative writing as effective means of story creation.
Participate in self-reflection through personal writings and large-group sharing.
Observe film segments and appreciate the importance of nuances in clinical scenarios through textual analysis.

Apply close-reading techniques on personal literary works in gaining perspectives, meaning-making and increasing self-awareness.

Click here to read more.

Singapore Medical Humanities Conference 2024

29 - 30 October 2024

Join us for the 2^nd Singapore Medical Humanities Conference on Tues, 29^th Oct 2024 – Wed, 30^th Oct 2024.

Based on the theme "Stories of Healing, Voices of Change", this Conference will bring together faculty and students from healthcare and the arts, community arts practitioners, patients and caregivers to share perspectives and support collaborative efforts.

Visit our webpage for more information.

Addressing Patients' Values in Decision Making Workshop

13 September 2024

Join us for the Addressing Patients' Values in Decision Making Workshop on Friday, 13 September, at 2:00pm.

Illness Narratives: The Power of Stories & Creative Writing

1 March 2024

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This half-day workshop is organised by the Medicine ACP Office of Medical Humanities in collaboration with School of Humanities, Nanyang Technological University. Through the workshop, participants will gain a deeper understanding of creative writing, close reading and conversational analysis. Attendees will cultivate an awareness of the subtle nuances inherent in analysing literary and conversational material, while also acquiring the necessary skills for such insightful analysis.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

Explore specific genres of creative writing as effective means of story creation.
Participate in self-reflection through personal writings and large-group sharing.
Apply close-reading techniques on personal literary works in gaining perspectives, meaning-making and increasing self-awareness.
Observe recorded doctor-patient interactions and appreciate the importance of nuances in clinical scenarios through conversational analysis.

Poetry and Medicine

13 February 2024

Medical Humanities is intended to evoke and stimulate:

thoughtful reflection
self-discovery and self-awareness
becoming a mature physician who understands him or herself.
a deep empathy for humanity; in particular for patients and family

In this half-day session with Dr John Fox, participants will be encouraged to explore thoughtful reflection in the practice of medicine. They will read poems written by physicians, nurses, patients and caregivers, will attempt responding to writing prompts.

Healthcare, Experience and Well-Being: Inferential Thinking in the Humanities and in the Clinic

24 January 2024

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Join Prof Ronald Schleifer in his enlightening talk inspired by his recent open-access book, "Literary Studies and Well-Being: Structures of Experience in the Worldly Work of Literature and Healthcare". Explore with Prof Schleifer the profound connections between literary studies, the humanities, and healthcare, while drawing insights from compelling video testimonials by renowned physicians Dr John Stone, Dr Abraham Verghese and Dr Rita Charon. Attendees will also be able to explore the nuanced relationship between well-being and a sense of wholeness through the lens of nineteenth-century philosopher, logician, and polymath, Charles Sanders Peirce.

Referencing works from other physicians, Prof Schleifer will share innovative approaches to enhance medical diagnosis systematically, along with the emotional and empathetic aspects of inferential thinking.

Don't miss this inspiring afternoon of thought-provoking insights and dialogue.

SingHealth Duke-NUS Medicine ACP - NTU Medical Humanities Conference

27 - 28 October 2023

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The inaugural SingHealth Duke-NUS Medicine Academic Clinical Programme (ACP) - Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Medical Humanities Conference brings together faculty and students from SingHealth and the NTU School of Humanities to support understanding and appreciation of our diverse strengths, promote collaboration and work towards a truly interdisciplinary approach towards patient care, research and academia. Participants can expect to gain deep insights from the plenary speakers, engage in interactive panel discussions, and take part in experiential workshops informed by an exciting range of topics and methodologies.

Click here to read more

Enhancing Self-Competence in End-of-Life Communication Through Arts Workshop

26 July 2023, 11 Sept 2023, 17 Oct 2023

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This full-day workshop aims to strengthen healthcare practitioners' confidence to initiate and facilitate end-of-life communication (EoLC), through a novel, theatre-based education programme, inspired by Both Sides, Now project.

Participants will engage in a series of thoughtfully designed experiential learning activities to enhance personal awareness and develop adaptive strategies to address practitioner's existential and emotional concerns arising from EoLC. Learners will be invited to participate in a pre and post-course survey to examine the effectiveness and impact of the training to develop self-competence in EoLC.

This workshop is developed as a collaboration between Medicine ACP Medical Humanities Office, SGH Medical Social Services and ArtsWok Collaborative.

MH Webinar Series - Working off the Advance Care Planning Discussion Prompts: Using experiences as resources for End-of-Life discussion

19 July 2023

The use of Advance Care Planning (ACP) consultations has become increasingly common in Singapore, with facilitators receiving training and resources to conduct these conversations. However, such materials can sometimes hinder rather than facilitate a deeper exploration of patients' needs. In this webinar, we will explore how the understanding of ACP discussion prompts as interactional resources, rather than mere questions, can facilitate conversations about sensitive topics such as medical interventions and end-of-life choices.

Medical Humanities Workshop - Creative Writing and Narrative Analysis

10 March 2023

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This one-day workshop is organised by the Medicine ACP Office of Medical Humanities in collaboration with School of Humanities, Nanyang Technological University. The workshop will introduce the methodologies of creative writing, close reading and conversational analysis. Participants will learn to apply some of the relevant skills and methods in analysing literary and conversational content.

Click here to view past events from 2019 - 2022