A Narrative Medicine Approach
Current Project
SUMMARY
USC Keck students in the Master of Science in Narrative Medicine Program will present a series of online and in-person narrative medicine writing workshops for patients and families served by Cancer Support Community Los Angeles. Led by CSCLA staff and students in the Master of Science in Narrative Medicine Program at USC, the workshops will foster the physical and mental health, long-term resilience, and survivorship of those impacted by cancer, catering to three under-resourced populations: LGBTQ+ members, Black women, and caregivers of pediatric cancer patients. The project will culminate in a public event where participants will share poems and reflections with other group members, the larger CSCLA participant and provider population, and USC’s Narrative Medicine community.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
- Address distress in marginalized and under-resourced cancer populations by fostering conversation and sharing personal stories within the context of a Narrative Medicine workshop
- Reduce isolation in patients and families through meaningful contact with others facing similar struggles
- Develop students as socially engaged artists and citizens through workshop interactions with cancer patients from marginalized and under-resourced communities
