Pratya posala ' 24. 摄影:Sia Were ' 25.
讲故事属于实验室和医疗办公室吗? 24岁的Pratya Poosala会认为是的.
Poosala enjoyed her STEM classes as a behavioral neuroscience major, 但她仍然对人文学科充满热情. Her solution was adding a self-designed major in narrative medicine.
“The way that science is taught sometimes tends to be detached from the humanities,普萨拉说. “作为一个对医疗保健事业感兴趣的人, I think it’s important we not only learn how to be good scientists and researchers but also good people—people who work 与 社区.”
结合科学、人文和同理心
Poosala and Sarah Mann ’22 present research from working in Pitzer’s Global Mental Health Lab.
A self-designed major is not what Poosala had in mind at first. She was taking various humanities classes but didn’t have enough for an existing minor or major. Her academic adviser suggested a self-designed major in narrative medicine to incorporate her public health and creative writing classes 与 her interests in science.
“Narrative medicine is an intersection of humanities and science that looks at how we can use storytelling and radical listening to inform how we practice and deliver healthcare,普萨拉说.
Human-centered empathy is more essential in healthcare than ever 与 the rise of AI. 根据 一项研究 美国医学会内科杂志 去年, ChatGPT outperformed physicians in making empathetic responses to medical questions (45% of chatbot responses versus less than 5% for physicians).
Doctors have certainly faced systemic burnout that has exponentially increased due to the pandemic and may have affected their bedside manner. How can healthcare practitioners remember the humanity in themselves and others? How can they gain a holistic view of a patient’s well-being? 叙事医学提供了一个答案.
为精神健康宣传讲故事
Poosala seeks to leverage her multidisciplinary majors to build a well-rounded approach to mental health.
“There are a lot of factors that could account for a person’s mental health that aren’t only biological,普萨拉说. “有社会决定因素. Narrative medicine looks at a person as a whole story and a whole person. You realize that it’s more than data or what they’re telling you in an appointment.”
普萨拉介绍了她的独立研究项目. 摄影:Sia Were ' 25.
Poosala aspires to a career in pediatric neuropsychology and working 与 neurodivergent children. 在Pitzer尼泊尔留学计划期间, Poosala did an independent research project about children’s mental health. She interviewed kids and adults from a local village and from Prisoner’s Assistance Nepal, which works 与 children whose mothers are incarcerated. She also wrote a children’s book in Nepali that illustrates a child’s experience during the Covid pandemic.
“It was good exposure to narrative medicine in practice,普萨拉说. “I was able to highlight the voices of caregivers and children. 讲故事是理解他人的有力方式.”
设计一个健全和全面的课程
Poosala modeled her major after Columbia University and the University of Southern California’s narrative medicine graduate 项目. 她希望继续在南加州大学的项目中学习.
“Narrative medicine helped me combine both my interests and helped me gain more confidence,普萨拉说. “It helped me think more about neuroscience and health in a broad, more interdisciplinary way. 这是我希望继续建立的一种心态.”
申报自己设计的专业, Pitzer students get approval from at least two faculty advisers and present a proposal to the College’s Curriculum Committee. 提案必须包括教育目标, 课程列表, and a capstone project to ensure their curriculum is as rigorous as pre-existing majors.
Poosala’s narrative medicine major includes courses such as Narrative Arts for Social Justice, 全球精神卫生研讨会, 编写剧本我, 和卫生不平等. Making her own major gave Poosala the perspective to persevere in her neuroscience major despite impostor syndrome.
“By designing this major I was able to hold more space to think in a way that is more creative, social-oriented, 和情感,普萨拉说.
就像她之前的许多推荐十大正规网赌网站学生一样, Poosala is forging her own academic path under the guidance of faculty and 与 a strong vision for how to make the world a kinder, 更有同理心的地方.
