ABSTRACT. TBD

ABSTRACT. We apply Indigenous art, photography, and video as a knowledge translation tool to stimulate dialogue and awareness around Indigenous peoples’ lives, culture, and experiences among medical learners. At the center of our approach are principles of Anishinabe (Odawa) pedagogy combined with a co-creation model of education that involves Indigenous artists and medical educators. We describe the framework for this Indigenous arts-based teaching model in medical education. We also summarize self-reported learning outcomes based on evaluation reports by over 250 participants in educational sessions at over 10 exhibits ranging from universities, health centers and Queens Park. Internationally renowned Anishinabe artist Randy Msheekehn Trudeau will co-lead the session and invite participants on an experiential arts-based learning journey to explore the place of Indigenous art in medical education. Together with the audience, the presenters explore how art can foster and promote healing and reconciliation. Using original pieces of Indigenous art, participants will experience the teaching approach and learn how to use these principles in their own work. During the experiential portion of the workshop, participants will learn to go beyond didactic teaching approaches to cultural safety and trauma-informed care approaches. As the Covid-19 pandemic has created overwhelming demands on health care workers we also discuss how this arts-based experience can promote resilience and wellness for those on the front lines. The workshop will be a space for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples to reflect on our shared journey towards wellness, through contemplation of our relationships with one another and our surroundings.

ABSTRACT. The dominant biomedical narrative, having asserted itself as a secular soteriology grounded in objective truth, confronts its suspicious and often dismissive relationship to religion in patient demand for spiritual care as provided by Spiritual Health Practitioners, commonly referred to as Chaplains. On their website, Alberta Health Services defines the chaplain’s role to support the spiritual health and wellbeing of patients across diverse beliefs, cultural perspectives, and practices recognizing “spirituality can have a profound effect upon the physical, mental and emotional well-being of people’s lives” (2022, Spiritual care services, related resources). Accepting the chaplain (a representation of religion) as a legitimate aspect of patient care relates spiritual care to medical care as a dialogic partner, rather than an incompatible worldview. The impact of this, I argue, is the potential to reimagine the concept of self from both religious and material perspectives. How do non-religious patients construct a subjective spirituality? How does this interact with the dominant discourse of scientific materialism? These questions will be explored through a conceptual analysis of Charles Taylor and others who problematize dichotomous understandings of ‘religion’ and ‘science’ in their broader critique of secularism. Such theories will be helpful to broaden the scope of consideration before narrowing focus on specific examples to further demonstrate the essential relationship between religion and healthcare, illuminating how patients and doctors might revise their view of self and, ultimately, what human flourishing means.

ABSTRACT. The Third Rail is a bimonthly series of essays that allows family physicians to discuss that which is uncomfortable, even taboo, but real. It was born out of practice support between family doctors and given voice by Canadian Family Physician. Mostly though, the series is an act of resistance against the erasure of relationships in family medicine. This Pecha Kucha presentation will describe our inception, journey and controversies.

Prior to the existence of The Third Rail, CFP published an essay on the invisible labor of medicine. It struck a chord and was consistently one of the most read articles in the journal in 2020 and 2021. It was clear that people wanted more.

So began The Third Rail. Some of the articles include gaslighting in medicine, disability in the context of the pandemic and gendered expectations of care and collegiality. We’ve had mixed responses, many positive, but others have expressed their discomfort in talking about big issues. A recent survey of family physician readers of the journal showed that they were more interested in biomedical information (e.g., pharmacotherapy, the newest clinical guidelines). Yet there is strong evidence that one of the things that medical journals do best is challenge readers about the most important issues affecting medicine of the day. Key CanMEDS competencies for family doctors include advocacy, collaboration and communication. The Third Rail is an entry point where physicians can work in all three of these domains in support of our patients, society and each other.

ABSTRACT. Drama has long been used to explore contested social issues, as performance has the ability to evoke strong emotional connection and help audiences visualize complex problems. In 2015, the Canadian criminal code was amended to legalize physician-assisted suicide, opening the door to a huge bioethical debate. This paper will describe the process of writing a research-based theatre piece as part of an undergraduate thesis, exploring the complexity of Medical Assistance in Death (MAID) and mental health.

Since 2016, when initial MAID legislation was passed in Canada, the issue of who should be eligible to receive MAID has been highly contested, with no clear answers on what is “right” and “wrong.” Included in the new legislation was a clause indicating people with mental illness will be eligible for MAID in 2023. If MAID itself was highly contested, allowing people with suicidal ideation and various mental illnesses to qualify for MAID is even more of a moral dilemma.

The play combines realistic and absurdist elements intending to leave audiences without concrete answers in addressing this highly debated issue. The aim is to educate audiences of the issue, spark deep reflection, and possibly change beliefs.

This presentation will outline the details of the play writing process and sample of the script will be shared to illustrate how theatre is an effective way to engage with difficult conversations about death. We will additionally explore the ways the script could be used as a tool in medicine and health pedagogy.

ABSTRACT. Part of my life’s work is to understand the true relationship between poetry and medicine. Because no single, unified vision can be articulated, I have proceeded in a topical fashion, thinking through (and publishing widely on) poetry as it relates to biomedicine, neoliberalism, burnout, evidence-based medicine, instrumentalism, burnout, and narrative medicine. I wish to extend my research by investigating the history of the manifestations of poetry in medical culture, beginning with a national frame. Since the advent of the journal in 1911 under physician and poet Andrew MacPhail, the Canadian Medical Association Journal has been publishing poetry. In my talk, I will discuss both the form and content of the poems printed over the history of the journal up to the present day, as well as cover instances in which poetry is both reviewed and subject to other commentary in the journal proper. I will explain what poetry is doing in this national medical journal for the CMAJ, for its readers, and, ultimately, for poetry itself. Such an investigation could be extended by other scholars in their own national and transnational milieus, deepening our understanding of what poetry is and does in medical contexts.

ABSTRACT. In 2016, the WHO identified discriminatory stereotypes and attitudes towards older adults as a major health issue, calling for institutions and communities to commit to implementing Age-Friendly and Dementia-Friendly initiatives. Stigma related to ageing and dementia begins early, as children are influenced by familial, cultural, and broader societal beliefs and values. Thus, there is a growing interest in the benefits of intergenerational programming. These initiatives support children to develop more expansive, positive views of ageing and dementia. Our project utilises arts-based research methods underpinned by an applied qualitative methodology to better understand the attitudes, beliefs, and values of school-aged youth on ageing and dementia; subsequently, we draw on this knowledge in creating educational resources. The paper will explore how we applied creative practice to create an archive of the beliefs and values held by students across several grades; the project endeavours to document both the understandings of ageing in youth and study the impact of ageing and dementia education on these perceptions. Creative outputs are harnessed in the dissemination of research towards an exhibition titled “Projections,” which amplifies the sociocultural impressions in the student artwork by projecting them onto objects that communicate notions of ageing as per their beliefs, thus creating a self-reflexive experimental learning space that works to disentangle social perceptions from the actual lived experiences of older adults dealing with dementia. Moreover, this exhibition takes place at the community level, which invites another layer of cross-generational, relational, participatory learning into the stratum of this cross-disciplinary project.

ABSTRACT. Background: Music therapy (MT) has been used in health care settings for a variety of treatment goals (1-3). Many inpatients with neurologic impairments struggle with low mood and pain for which MT may be a novel adjunct treatment (4). The aims of this study were to: 1) explore the impact of an MT program on mood, pain and satisfaction from the perspective of the patient, staff, and family, specifically as related to impact on relationships; 2) evaluate change in mood and pain following an MT session. Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted using a grounded theory approach for data analysis. Individual semi-structured interviews (n=20) and focus groups (n=5) were conducted with 15 MT participants, 5 family members and 15 staff. Forty participants also completed pre-post surveys evaluating mood, pain and satisfaction following their first MT session. Results: Benefits of MT emerged as the overarching theme. Subthemes were: (1) Social connectedness; (2) Emotional regulation; (3) Pain management; (4) Positive effects on self-concept; (5) Enjoyment. The subtheme of social connectedness was characterized by quotes describing ability of MT to promote personal expression, connection to family members and connection to peers. There was a significant improvement in mood and decrease in pain from pre-to-post MT session. Conclusions: Improvements in mood and pain were reported in both qualitative interviews and pre-post MT session questionnaires. MT offers significant benefit to neurorehabilitation inpatients, including improvements in social connection, mood and pain. Further rigorous evaluation is needed to inform adoption as a standard of care therapy.

ABSTRACT. The positive effects that group singing can have on health and wellbeing are becoming increasingly well-documented. Singing in a group can help foster a sense of belonging, self-efficacy, accomplishment, and shared identity. With the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, many singing groups unable to gather in person have turned to virtual meetings and recorded concerts as a replacement for face-to-face rehearsals and performances. This is particularly challenging when the voice is the sole instrument and creating harmonies key to the whole experience, as is the case for a cappella groups. This study used qualitative interviewing and phenomenological analysis to explore participants’ perceptions of the impact a cappella singing has on their mental health and subjective wellbeing, and how the loss of in-person rehearsals, performances, and competitions during the COVID-19 pandemic has affected them. Nine participants were interviewed. Participants consistently described a positive impact of a cappella singing on subjective wellbeing, and a significant sense of loss in being unable to continue this activity in person during lockdown. Many appreciated the opportunity for virtual rehearsals in helping to mitigate feelings of isolation and foster a sense of togetherness with other group members during quarantine. The virtual medium was nevertheless judged to be an inferior substitute for the level of intimacy and connectedness that participants found in being physically surrounded by other group members and immersed in the rich harmonies characteristic of the a cappella style.

ABSTRACT. The mental health needs of immigrant populations in Canada have long been disproportionately unmet and the Covid-19 pandemic has magnified barriers in our health and social systems. The “Music & Breathwork for Newcomers Affected by COVID-19” Pilot Program was designed and implemented by the Healing Centered Cooperative to address these issues. The project ran from July 2021 to January 2022 and aimed to provide innovative, accessible, culturally competent and trauma-informed support for marginalized Calgarians to heal nervous system responses to stress through music, song, breath and social support. Different ethnic groups met bi-weekly over the course of 8 weeks to partake in the online music-based programming facilitated by an interdisciplinary team that included a music therapist, vocal coach, psychologist, anthropologist, registered nurse and doctor.

In this presentation, we will provide an overview of the phases of the pilot project, along with some of the techniques and approaches employed. We will present both qualitative and quantitative research results along with feedback. Finally we will discuss what we learned from the pilot phase and plans for future development and scaling the project beyond this pilot phase.

ABSTRACT. I have always had a hard time expressing thoughts and understanding what others are trying to tell me. As a child, I felt that conversation was a game, but no one told me the rules. Music was different. It was how I connected to people. In my string quartet, I could feel how the bassline I produced on cello connected to the other players’ voices. As a baritone in my choir, I knew just what note to sing to make a beautiful chord. As a medical student, I often observe physicians, nurses, and patients talking past each other, resulting in patients’ frustration, sadness, isolation, and anger. Having been attracted to narrative medicine as a better way of hearing the patient and fostering greater empathy and respect, I have composed several musical interpretations of narratives and sketches of patients in the books and articles by Alan Blum, MD, who has been sharing these stories and artworks as a teacher of family medicine since before I was born. In this presentation, I perform and discuss three of these musical medical narratives. “I'll stop smoking” examines the experience of addiction counseling solely from the patient’s perspective. “49” asks “What does depression sound like?” “Fugue in Bb Major (Right Here)” considers social aspects of dementia through the musical writing technique known as “Fugue”.

ABSTRACT. Dr. Evan O’Neill Kane (1861-1932), an innovative American surgeon best known for removing his own appendix, was also one of the first surgeons to play music using a phonograph in the operating theatre, believing it had a calming effect on his patients prior to administering anesthesia. In 1914, he published his observations ‘Phonograph in Operating-Room’ in JAMA, prompting fervent discussion on the topic and numerous studies that would be published throughout the century. Today, the perception and attitude toward music in the operating room (OR) from surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and trainees as well as its effect on objective measures of surgical performance and efficiency have been well characterized in research. While some studies have described a perceived ‘Mozart effect’ of music in the OR including reduced stress from surgical staff and improved operating efficiency, others have reported difficulties communicating resulting in increased stress and unnecessary distractions in an already noisy ambience. In contrast, studies focused on patient-related perioperative outcomes have consistently reported positive effects of music on reducing anxiety and pain in surgical patients. Considering these perspectives, this presentation will examine the relationship between music in the OR and its effects on the attitude and performance of surgical staff as well as patient-related outcomes. While previous studies have independently examined the topic from a purely humanities or scientific approach, this review will interpret key findings from both the medical and humanities literature and bridge the gap through a narrative lens that mirrors the evolution of OR/surgical etiquette over the 20th-century.

ABSTRACT. Clinical reasoning describes the thought processes involved in synthesis of data to develop a differential diagnosis. This requires an ability to actively listen and communicate. Despite early training and attempts to hone clinical skills in this area, once in practice we interrupt patients after an average of 11 seconds. Similarly, when we begin our healthcare training, we are taught to reflect back what we have heard, but as time goes on, we do not foster this skill.

Visual thinking strategies (VTS) is a method that produces growth in aesthetic thinking, and other cognitive operations in a short space of time through observing, speculating and reasoning, based on the evidence. Participants must provide evidence to explain their interpretation, and recognize how each person's interpretation contributes to understanding multiple meanings. Working as a team, requires a willingness to listen, to hear other’s perspectives, and to modify our own viewpoints. All of these skills are fostered using VTS.

Combining brief didactic presentations with experiential learning, participants will be introduced to the historical links between art and medicine, clinical reasoning, medical error, and how VTS can be used to enhance the skills of active listening and communication. Using VTS facilitation, the presenter will guide participants through multiple pieces of art followed by a debrief on the concepts learned. Using think-pair-share, small group brainstorming then larger group debrief, participants will identify a challenging communication situation they have encountered and consider how VTS concepts could be applied for resolution.

ABSTRACT. After antiquity, the practice of hospital medicine in ‘the west’ derives, historically, from medieval monastic institutions which, in addition to caring for the ill, provided hostels for travelers, dispensaries, clinics, alms, religious and social services, among other functions. The monks and nuns serving in these early 'hospitiums', were guided by monastic rules which governed their activities. While often considered to be aids to individual spiritual growth, the central goal of these rules was the creation and maintenance of community, both within and outside the monastery: that is their main concern was to develop healthy relationships and promote a vision of relationality as soteriological. The beginnings of modern medicine were thus inextricably tied to these values, understood not merely as means to an end but as therapeutic in themselves. As medical practice has diverged from its monastic and religious foundations, I will consider the monastic rules of Saints Benedict, Augustine and Francis (perhaps, with that of Ignatius, the most important and influential examples) to highlight the centrality of relationship as both the locus of care as well as therapeutic per se. A redescription of the role of relationships in medicine not only affords healthcare providers more tools, but also re-envisions the very goal of healthcare in terms of relational wholeness within and beyond the body. Revising and refocusing healthcare in this way will, I argue, integrate medical practice, reduce burnout, and re-establish medical education on healthier grounds.

ABSTRACT. [T]he body … as our means of communication with [the world], … as the horizon latent in all our experience and itself ever-present and anterior to every determining thought.1

The body, in medicine, is primarily an object; the site of disease, enacted upon – treated, medicated, even cut open. Yet for philosopher Merleau-Ponty, the body is our medium for having a world, ‘the body-subject’, forms our point of view. In medicine, the body-subject of physicians and patients is ever-present but unstated; physicality determines our lived experiences but is rarely attended. The aim of this study was to explore physician experiences of the body, their own, and those of patients, in clinical practice. We interviewed 9 physicians from different disciplines and, as a transdisciplinary team, interpreted transcripts using critical phenomenology. Critical phenomenology combines sensitivity towards lived experience with a critical view as to how subjectivity is shaped by sociocultural structures. We present our interpretation, drawing on in-depth analysis of a single interview, as a short film. The film comprises hand drawings and phenomenological interpretations, contextualised by writing of Merleau-Ponty1 and Sarah Ahmed2. We weave together the visual, verbal, and textual to express our understandings of the embodied experience of pain, intricately shaped by a person’s lifeworld, historicity, language and tradition. We offer our interpretation as a moral horizon, a gaze that can help us see more than merely seeing as, revealing the ethical undertones hiding behind apparently neutral words and gestures in medicine. We anticipate discussing implications for education and practice.

ABSTRACT. Medical community: Queer Community Is a healthy relationship possible?

The 2SLGBTQ+ community comprises an estimated 10% of our population. The quoted rates of its members not seeking medical care due to ongoing fear or past traumatic experiences are unfortunately high.1

Relationship conflicts between medical professionals and queer individuals appear to be at the root of these issues.

Are these apparent problems at a personal or institutional level? Is this an education gap or a social gap or both?

How do you define the queer community and who are its spokespersons? Who represents and speaks for the medical community?

Working in a Q+A interview style of panel presentation, this interactive session will explore the challenges that these two communities have had developing a working relationship in a traditional medical space and propose alternatives for healthier relationships in the future.

References: 1. https://www.cmaj.ca/content/193/16/E562

OBJECTIVES 1. Define medical and queer communities 2. Explore historic relationship challenges between groups 3. Propose a framework for developing healthier relationships between individuals and groups

Presenters: Dr Ted Jablonski (host), James Demers, Parker Lieb, Priya Khalsa Proposal : 60 minute PANEL PRESENTATION

ABSTRACT. In The Wounded Storyteller Arthur Frank wrote that major illness has the potential to disrupt the planned destination of our life, and that through the practice of illness narrative the capacity for telling our story is reclaimed. During times of global uncertainty, finding methods to cope with illness digitally has become especially vital. This project evaluates how literary hypertext can be used as an avenue for womxn (inclusive to trans, nonbinary, and femme identities) with hyperandrogenism to write illness narratives that construct positive relationships between their identities and the world. Literary hypertext is a form of digital story writing that calls on the reader to participate in the narrative’s unfolding by selecting hyperlink options which branch the narrative into nonlinear directions. Hyperandrogenism is a medical condition characterized by “excessive” levels of male hormones such as testosterone which, when identified in the female body, are associated with “masculinizing” symptoms. The condition has been employed as a justification to call into question which bodily signifiers and hormonal nuances quantify biological sex. Due to experiences of perceived subjugation in the medical encounter, some womxn with hyperandrogenism are turning to online illness narratives to write their “abject” bodies into a budding corporeal politic. Through an online story-writing module and hypertext tutorial, 10 participants with hyperandrogenism have written their own stories based on their illness experience. This research will lead to the concrete realization of a novel pathway to inform therapeutic approaches for emotional well-being related to gendered illness.

ABSTRACT. Pattern in the Universe is inevitable. The horn of the rhinoceros follows a spiral pattern once described by Fibonacci as the “golden ratio”. Our blood vessels undulate identically to that of the branches on a tree. By being human, we belong to the greater system of components making up the world – a system with a finite set of rules available for processes to occur. It is the existence of these patterns that maintains a form of harmony in the Universe, and likewise within our bodies – an idea that we, as health science advocates, term “homeostasis”. As classically defined, perturbations in homeostasis can frequently lead to disease – not only of the body, but of any system existing on our planet. It is therefore imperative for us to realize our place as a living species in this macrocosm of existence, and recognize that perception to universal patterns contributes to the maintenance of our organisms, our societies, and our environment. How can we do this? – Artistic exploration is one approach.

In this talk, I hope to speak to the arts as a means of observing the world surrounding us, and grasping its threads so tightly that we, in turn, gain a brighter understanding of how its systems are in play. I hope to express the importance of participating in the arts as a form of education in how living systems behave. After all, we as living organisms are merely plagiarists of the greater motifs observable in the cosmos.

ABSTRACT. The patient perspective is of increasing importance in health humanities dialogue and health research more broadly, evidenced by a recent proliferation of “patient engagement” initiatives. While the integration of patient perspectives is a necessary move to advance and improve healthcare, such discourses risk essentializing a narrow understanding of patient subjectivity (Rowland et al 2017). Science and technology studies scholars have suggested drawing on the anthropological notion of personhood to develop the concept of “patienthood,” which highlights the cultural construction of the patient position, and its variations across social contexts, time, and location (Joyce et al 2020). In effort to further conceptualizations of patienthood, this study sought to understand how people living with chronic illnesses understand and experience patienthood. Arts-based workshops were held with 10 self-identifying women and non-binary people living with chronic illnesses. Participants were invited to create “portraits of patienthood” using multi-media collage. Following the art activity, a group discussion took place to generate further insights on living with chronic illness and navigating healthcare. This research presentation will include a walk-through of the resulting artwork, the intentions of participants in creating their work, and a discussion of the work informed by the political/relational model of disability (Kafer 2013) in order to highlight common experiences and importantly, attend to the multiplicities of patienthood.

ABSTRACT. Cumming School of Medicine String Quartet

• Rena Far, First Violin
• Asha Hollis, Second Violin
• Rachel Kratofil, Viola
• Josh Lee, Cello

ABSTRACT. Aya’s musical journey is deeply influenced by her Syrian roots. This is obvious in her album, Homeland, which combines music from her two homelands that she has Canada and Syria. Hailing from Sweida, she taught herself to play the oud, a string instrument similar to the lute. As an artist who inhabits the crossroad between nations, Aya is committed to speaking out about issues of exile and diaspora, and to celebrate the importance of home. She hopes that her music helps to shape Canada’s vision for a peaceful and vibrant cultural mosaic.

ABSTRACT. Greg was born and raised in Moscow, Russia, where he had lived for his whole life until moving to Calgary in 2011. He has been a social worker since settling here. In his musical part of life, Greg has been influences by a variety of cultures - Russian, Jewish, French, Scandinavian and many others, also classical, folk, jazz, but mainly - British/American folk, pop and rock music. Greg has been involved with a few bands as a bass and guitar player. He is also a singer/songwriter in his own right, fascinated by the process.

ABSTRACT. Wyatt C. Louis is a Nêhiyaw singer-songwriter from Montana First Nation (Treaty 6). Residing in Moh'kinstsís (Treaty 7), Louis has made an impact on the eclectic landscape with songs built from soaring melodies, railroad-like finger picking and quiet, haunting vocals and lyrical phrasing. Dark, rustic tales meld folk and soulful blues to tell tales of love, loss, and the journey home.

ABSTRACT. Bach’s Suite in G Minor BWV 995, originally composed for solo lute, was itself an adaptation of his Suite in C Minor for solo cello. The present arrangement, adapted for solo marimba by Rod T. Squance, has technical solutions informed by both lute and cello versions. Bach’s music, particularly his instrumental compositions, are well known for their adaptability to nearly any instrument, as demonstrated here on the marimba, a large xylophone of Central American Indigenous origin, almost certainly unknown to Bach. But one can conjecture that had he known of it, he may very well have produced repertoire for the instrument that would have sounded much like this performance.

Rod has studied percussion with Ney Rosauro and Glenn Price, Balinese gender wayang with Brita Heimarck, marimba with Leigh Howard Stevens and for many years developed his musicianship with Canadian pedagogue and violinist, Thomas Rolston. He is currently Associate Professor and Music Division Lead at the University of Calgary, and has served on the faculty of the Banff Centre for the Arts.