Back to School: A New Writing Series
Easily digestible writing guides for students and lifelong learners
Each semester, I look forward to the start of my HUM 145 Introduction to Health Humanities course at Syracuse University. Tonight, the journey begins again. This course introduces undergraduate students to the principles and practices of narrative medicine, an interdisciplinary field that combines the power of storytelling with reflective writing to enhance healthcare. The dynamic nature of the health humanities means I never teach the same course twice. I’m always weaving in new insights, assigning fresh projects, and collaborating in unexpected ways. This semester, we’ll partner with local palliative care workers for a semester-long life writing workshop—more on that soon. Yet no matter how much I innovate, narrative medicine remains central to what I teach. And every semester, I’m struck by how students make these concepts their own.
A few years ago, a taciturn student lingered after class. She thanked me for introducing reflective writing early in the semester and shared her story. As a varsity athlete on scholarship, she’d sustained a serious injury and suffered recurring nightmares about returning to play. It was paralyzing. But through expressive writing and narrative exercises, she worked through her fears and found her way back to the field.
Other students have opened up about their own paths to healing. Some use these tools to mend broken hearts after a relationship ends. One student even started a poetry reading group at the dental office where she was shadowing—a space no one would have pegged as fertile ground for narrative medicine. These moments are powerful reminders of just how versatile and transformative this work can be. The principles are straightforward but unlock endless possibilities.
As I prepare for another semester, I’m reminded that these small breakthroughs are what make this work matter. Narrative medicine helps students engage with the humanistic side of healthcare, but it also equips them with tools for self-discovery and connection—with themselves, their peers, and their future patients. I’m excited to see how this semester’s class will take what they learn and run with it.
This post kicks off my new Substack series, Back to School. Through this series, I’ll share practical, approachable guides on therapeutic writing tailored for undergraduates and pre-med or health students. My hope is to spark awareness and build a rich repository of resources for students and teachers who want to bring health humanities into the classroom. Stay tuned for insights, activities, and stories about how narrative medicine inspires growth, connection, and healing.