Baylor Medical Humanities Retreat ‘Breathes New Life’ into Modern Medicine

April 9, 2014

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Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-710-6275

WACO, Texas (April 9, 2014) – Baylor University students and faculty in the Medical Humanities program will gather April 11-12 for the 15th annual Medical Humanities Retreat, long the “spiritual center” of a program that focuses on the sacred nature of a vocation in medicine.

The retreat – held at Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary – brings together students and faculty from all disciplines who share a common interest in medicine and helping shape the character of the next generation of professionals to enter the field of healthcare.

The theme of this year’s retreat is “Valley of Dry Bones: Breathing Life Into Modern Medicine” and features keynote speaker Michael Attas, M.D., a Waco cardiologist, Episcopal priest and founding physician faculty member of Baylor’s Medical Humanities program. Attas will be the keynote speaker at a dinner on Friday.

On Saturday, a Q&A session with Baylor alums now in the throes of medical school will give Baylor premed and prehealth students a chance to hear from their peers. Members of Baylor’s faculty also will speak.

The retreat has been a “peak experience for me, professionally and personally, for 15 years,” said Lauren Barron, M.D., lecturer and associate director of Medical Humanities at Baylor.

Barron said taking the time to reflect on the ideals of medicine has been profoundly important in shaping the way she cares for patients on a day-to-day basis.

“The retreat has reinforced the need to keep compassion at the center of our caregiving in a system that can be dehumanizing not only for patients, but for those who care for them as well,” she said.

Barron shared comments from students pursuing medical and health-related careers who have attended previous retreats.

    “I came to this retreat and received more than I could have imagined. I heard about their experiences from a Christian perspective. I learned how to apply my Christian values to my prospective medical practice. This weekend was amazing.”
    “I came away with insight into what to expect in the medical field, challenges and situations I will encounter, and as a Christian, how to deal with them—and also, how to go through the medical education system without losing my humanity.”

For more information about the Medical Humanities program at Baylor University, visit www.baylor.edu/medical_humanities or contact Sue Mock at 254-710-2065.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.