In this talk, Akron Children’s Hospital Narrative Medicine Coordinator Nicole Robinson introduces us to the emerging field of narrative medicine and how it provides a path for all to engage in the human experience of illness, health, and healing. We look at the ways that stories, through close reading and reflective writing, have the ability to deepen our understanding of, and empathy toward, others. We examine the methods used in narrative medicine and how those methods can transform clinician, caregiver, and patient experiences in and out of healthcare settings.

This event was recorded as part of “Lessons from the Intersections of the Humanities and Medicine,” a series of three Ohio Humanities Speakers Bureau events examining the connections between health care and the public humanities.