Every Patient and Healthcare Worker Has a Story: Reflections from Dr. Lina Roa’s Keynote
Part I of the Narrative Medicine Case Competition 2024 Recap
At the Second Annual Narrative Medicine Case Competition (NMCC 2024), hosted by UBC Humanities in Healthcare, healthcare professionals and students gathered to explore the intersection of storytelling and healthcare. In the opening ceremony, Dr. Lina Roa, a medical doctor in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Alberta, shared her insights on the impact of narrative medicine and global surgical care.
In her compelling keynote speech, "Every Patient and Healthcare Worker Has a Story", Dr. Roa took the participants on a journey through her personal and professional life in the field of medicine. She began by reflecting on the literary influences that sparked her passion for healthcare, including books like "28 Stories of AIDS in Africa," "Mountains Beyond Mountains," and "An Imperfect Offering." These narratives not only exposed her to the complexities of healthcare challenges around the world but also instilled a profound sense of duty to address them.
Dr. Roa’s keynote presentation
Transitioning from her residency to specializing in global surgery, Dr. Roa emphasized the transformative potential of initiatives like the World Health Organization's surgical safety checklist and the concept of IKIGAI – finding purpose in aligning personal passion with societal need.
However, it was a patient case from her residency, Fern, that gave the audience goosebumps and tears, that highlighted the impact of narrative medicine on her practice. Fern's heartbreaking story – a pregnant Indigenous woman carrying a fetus with congenital syphilis while battling opioid and alcohol addiction – served as a reminder of the multifaceted realities that patients bring into the healthcare setting.
Quoting Susan Palwich, Ph.D., Dr. Roa highlighted the importance of narrative medicine in fostering empathy and understanding: "It’s easy for patients to get reduced to a specific illness. Narrative medicine is a way of integrating everything back together; it’s a way of staying curious about people." Through storytelling, both patients and healthcare providers can find comfort and connection in clinical settings.
In a gesture reflective of our commitment to holistic care, inspired by Dr. Roa’s speech, our club awarded a copy of "When Breath Becomes Air" – a memoir on mortality and meaning – to a lucky participant, recognizing the therapeutic power of literature in healing and resilience-building.
Dr. Lina Roa's keynote at NMCC 2024 served as a powerful reminder of the transformative potential of narrative medicine in healthcare. By honouring and embracing the stories of both patients and healthcare workers, we can cultivate empathy, understanding, and resilience in the face of complex medical challenges.
– Kimia Nouhi (Co-Founder & Co-President)
