Rebecca Volpe, PhD
How is humanism nurtured in a highly technical training program like medicine or nursing? This is the question the Brodie Medical Education Fund Committee posed to 12 healthcare professionals from across the School of Medicine and School of Nursing at their annual Nameless Field Dinner on Nov. 5 at The Colonnade Club.
The Brodie Committee was pleased to welcome Rebecca Volpe, PhD, the 2024 Brodie Medical Education Scholar, at the dinner and for other special events throughout the week. Dr. Volpe is an associate professor and ethicist and the Vice Chair for Education in the Dept. of Humanities at Penn State College of Medicine. She is a nationally recognized expert in health humanities education.
UVA President Jim Ryan opened this storytelling event, which included a diverse group of participants ranging from patients, students, and a resident, to senior members of the School of Medicine and School of Nursing and UVA Health. Each person was charged with sharing a personal story as a vehicle to better understand the healing power of human connections both for patients and caregivers. Many of the stories revealed health professionals who were extending themselves outside their defined roles. The combined narratives highlighted the essential part that the systems in which we learn and practice can play in educating humanistic professionals.
In addition to the roundtable dinner, Dr. Volpe delivered the Medical Center Hour talk, presented Medical Grand Rounds, led a Resident Reading Group, met individually with SOM leaders, and received the traditional custom Brodie Scholar Spoon honoring her innovation (stirring) in medical education.
The Brodie Medical Education Fund Committee
, in the UVA School of Medicine Center for Excellence in Education, hosted the first Brodie Scholar 14 years ago. The committee is named for Anne L. Brodie, a patient who highly valued the longitudinal relationship with her trusted personal physician, Dr. Eugene Corbett. Mrs. Brodie willed her estate to the UVA School of Medicine for the purpose of innovation in medical education. The Brodie Committee funds initiatives that promote Mrs. Brodie’s objective that future generations of physicians have the heart and skill to care for patients in the patient-centric manner shown by Dr. Corbett in his care for her.