Bringing the Humanities into Medicine: Cultivating Empathy Through Art, Story, and Reflection

In this “What a Great Teaching Idea” faculty profile, Jo Marie Reilly, Keck School of Medicine of USC, shares a teaching approach she uses in her clinical education courses that uses brief humanities “touchpoints” (images, film, poetry, or music) paired with simple reflection prompts to deepen learning. These quick activities encourage students to practice observation, interpretation, and empathy, building skills that directly support clinical and scientific reasoning while boosting student engagement.

Dr. Reilly is the recipient of the 2024-25 USC Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Watch this 3-minute video and scroll down for the full interview, plus tips for implementing this kind of activity in your course!

Read more about this approach in Jo Marie’s own words:

Loader Loading...
EAD Logo Taking too long?

Reload Reload document
| Open Open in new tab

Download this file [114.61 KB]

Tips from CET – Integrating the Arts into Any Discipline

  1. Link to your core concept. Connect the emotional insight back to your course goals (e.g., ethics, data interpretation, systems thinking, or creative problem-solving).
  2. Start or end with a story. Use a short film, poem, or image as a bridge between content and lived experience.
  3. Build reflection in. Allow a moment of quiet or journaling before discussion begins.
  4. Ask open-ended questions. “What do you notice? What does this make you think or feel?”
  5. Normalize humanity in learning. Recognize emotion and empathy as legitimate pathways to understanding.

Selected References

Alexander, M., Lenahan, P., & Pavlov, A. (2006). Cinemeducation : Using Film and Other Visual Media in Graduate and Medical Education. (1st ed.). Taylor & Francis Group. USC Libraries link.

Alexander, M., Lenahan, P., & Pavlov, A. (2012). Cinemeducation, Volume 2 :Using Film and Other Visual Media in Graduate and Medical Education. Radcliffe Pub. USC Libraries link.

MedHum. (n.d.) Litmed. In MedHum: A Lens on Human Experience. https://medhum.org/category/litmed.

Pulse. (n.d.) Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine. https://pulsevoices.org/

Segarra, V. A., Natalizio, B., Falkenberg, C. V., Pulford, S., & Holmes, R. M. (2018). STEAM: Using the Arts to Train Well-Rounded and Creative Scientists. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 19(1), Article 1360. USC Libraries link.

Visual Thinking Strategies. (n.d.). Visual Thinking Strategies: Facilitate Visual Learning & Critical Thinking. https://vtshome.org/

Category:

Back to Faculty Profiles

Share:

Categories

Our Latest Teaching Resources

Follow Us On Social Media