Medical students face many well-being challenges, including imposter syndrome, burnout, work-life imbalance, and lack of meaning-making in their studies. Often, these challenges are linked to a lack of community, belonging, and/or connection to their own purpose. It is thus crucial to allow students a space to build thoughtful communities, separate from didactics, to reflect together on personal experiences, process complex emotions, and increase their sense of belonging and community.  Narrative Medicine Workshop programs can address many of these concerns. These workshops would allow a boundary around a small group of students to participate together in the ritual of truth-telling, active listening and emotional processing: skills that are paramount for both personal development and effective patient-provider relationships. We aim to provide students with a safe space to reflect on who they are, what they care most about, and how to hold onto these values as they become physicians. 

The Black Health Student Alliance (BHSA) initiative will be a new student organization that will comprise of Black graduate students in the fields of medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, biological sciences, and public health. Each field will have a representative on the executive board. BHSA’s events will create a platform to nurture the interests of students who want to focus on addressing systemic inequities, while also impacting wellness by connecting them with a supportive community of students facing similar challenges.

Some initiatives that BHSA will organize include:

• A speaker series aimed at increasing discussions on social determinants of health and how they contribute to health disparities. 

• Hosting an annual regional research symposium where African American students in health sciences can showcase their research.

Link to project presentation here.