A Brief History of Our Origins

Ten years ago, a personal odyssey began that led, in a somewhat circuitous route, to the development of the Medical Humanities Program at Baylor. Responding to a long sense of spiritual and vocational direction shift, I began the weekly commute to Austin to the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. Continuing my practice as an interventional cardiologist, for five years I then worked towards a Master of Divinity degree leading to ordination. Halfway through that journey, I began to sense that the issues I was struggling with - namely how one integrates the Christian faith and identity into the world of science and medicine - was one that many struggle with at various stages of a career in medicine. I realized that often a compartmentalization takes place, with the world of science and health care securely in one corner of our lives, and the world of Christianity with its traditions of ethics and spiritual formation tucked securely in another. This compartmentalization often begins at the earliest stages of our medical education, even in the undergraduate curriculum. How can these two worlds live in harmony and compatibility, I pondered? Are there points of resolution ... are there points of conflict ... are there educational paradigms that can alter how we perceive these two very important dimensions of our lives? As I struggled with these issues, I began a series of dialogues with several important faculty members at Baylor whom I knew and respected who have been involved with the humanities and the sciences as well as the premedical curriculum.

Discussions with Drs. Bill Hillis, David Pennington, Dan McGee and Robert Baird convinced me that there was a real need and possible way that Baylor could begin to develop a program designed to foster a side of medicine that was often ignored in the traditional undergraduate premedical curriculum. Dr. Robert B. Sloan, Baylor president, was approached, and he named a committee that I co-chaired with Dr. Donald Schmeltekopf, then Provost, to look into how this effort could be implemented. The committee consisted of representatives from chemistry, biology, religion, philosophy, the premedical program and University Ministries. This interdisciplinary approach enabled the program to be created with active input, support, and participation from the humanities and the sciences at Baylor. This cooperative and mutually respectful effort resulted in the development and approval of a minor in medical humanities.

It is one of a handful of programs of its kind in the country and is breaking ground in a creative way, defining how premedical programs can be structured in a university with a history of strong humanities and sciences like Baylor. Now entering our fifth year, we have between 75-100 students at any one time taking courses in the minor. It is a truly interdisciplinary program, involving courses from English, religion, philosophy, history, sociology and psychology. New courses in medical humanities were developed, emphasizing the history of Christian spirituality, patient/physician relationships, hospital-based ministry and the nature of health care in the 21st century. The courses have proved to be hugely popular, filling up quickly and leaving many students clamoring for a deeper and broader exposure. The presence of Dr. James Marcum on campus, who holds dual doctorates in biology and philosophy, has added an academic presence and support to the program. Students also rotate through various hospital services, each one different yet exposing them to the real nitty-gritty world of medicine and decision making that often involves deep ethical and spiritual issues. Feedback from the medical schools has been extremely positive, giving our students an edge over other major universities in our region in the admissions process.

Several ancillary programs have developed as a result of the success of the minor. An annual medical humanities retreat occurs in the fall where 60 premedical students attend an off-campus retreat where national speakers with backgrounds in health care and Christian formation dialogue about issues of common concern. It has been an enormous success and has been viewed as a life-changing experience by many students. An outgrowth of the first retreat was the development of the Christian Health Care Society, a campus service organization that meets twice monthly for premedical students to hear guest speakers who have integrated faith and medicine, as well as to worship and support each other spiritually in this journey. Through a Lilly Foundation grant, students have been sent on medical mission trips abroad, again giving our students lifechanging experiences in the realities of third world health care that can translate to issues our own country faces.

Many students have expressed an interest in the development of a medical humanities major, which could bring Baylor to the forefront nationally of issues that are currently being explored in the medical schools alone. Courses on spirituality and healing are now being taught in almost 100 medical schools and conferences are springing up continually, yet the same issues are being ignored at the undergraduate level.What better place to design a serious academic program looking at the integration of faith and medicine than Baylor University, with its strong Christian heritage and respected science program? I believe that a well funded and well organized program of this magnitude could become one of the flagship programs of the University, attracting strong premedical students from all over the country who might not have otherwise been aware of Baylor. A major in medical humanities will likely require the hiring of new faculty, the funding of a Center for Medical Humanities and the addition of new and innovative courses currently under consideration.

A second area that has been discussed is the development of a major, national continuing education conference on campus for health care practitioners - physicians, nurses and chaplains - to explore the issues. Harvard Medical School currently offers one that has been a huge success, yet it is our belief that there are many practicing physicians - both Baylor graduates and otherwise - who would be attracted to our campus for an opportunity to learn and visit. Development of this conference is currently in the early stages, very dependent on additional funding and staff support. In summary, we are currently at a crossroads at Baylor University in the medical humanities.We have accomplished a lot in a short time, yet there is an expressed need for a deeper and broader program. Many possibilities exist, and it is the belief of those who were involved in the program from its infancy that it could easily be taken to the highest level, bringing Baylor into the leadership of universities that are looking at this challenging area of health care. Dr. Michael Attas is a 1969 B.A. graduate, a cardiologist and Assisting Rector at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Waco, Texas. He is the father of two College graduates: Jason (B.A. 1998) and Jessica (B.A. 2000, M.A. 2002).