uOttawa Faculty of Medicine launches first-ever Medicine and Humanities International Program with partners from Shanghai and Lyon

The University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine welcomes students and professors from Shanghai and Lyon to take part in the first-ever Medicine and Humanities International Program (MHIP) from July 4 to July 14 in Ottawa. Students from these two cities join uOttawa MD students for a two-week summer program on the integration of medicine and the humanities.

This multilateral program between four partner institutions – uOttawa, University of Lyon, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTUSM), and Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SHUTCM) – enables students and professors to experience across cultural learning that connects medicine with the humanities in order to foster critical thinking and the development of empathy. This year’s inaugural MHIP summer school takes place in Ottawa, and then for each subsequent year, a different partner university takes a turn to host the summer school in their respective countries.

The French Ambassador to Canada, Her Excellency Kareen Rispal, personally welcomed this year’s MHIP students at a meet and greet ceremony that marked the beginning of the two-week session.

“The goal of this summer school is to allow medical students from diverse backgrounds – different nationalities, languages and cultures – to reflect together on ethical, professional and human issues in Medicine,” says Dr. Jean Roy, Director of the MHIP. “This is achieved through their introduction to different approaches and practices that integrate the humanities to the medical training and practice.”

The program encompasses arts, literature, philosophy and social sciences taught by professors from the four partner universities who share their expertise with medical students through theoretical and practical workshops (e.g. narrative medicine, clinical ethics, auto-portraits, mindfulness, etc.) as well as social and cultural activities.

Students are introduced to some essential approaches in human and social sciences – approaches that will contribute to the development of knowledge and skills related to reflective practice, the establishment of a more meaningful interpersonal relationship, the practice of mindfulness.

In line with the University’s commitment to bilingualism, this program delivers a fully bilingual curriculum, with both English and French streams. With students and professors from Shanghai, Lyon and Ottawa, this is a truly international collaboration.