2014-2015 Symposia

 

Consequences of Our Medical Culture: 
Physician and Patient Perspectives

 

     The medical profession, and medical education, in the United States have a long and intricate history.  Over time, behaviors and norms shift, solidify, and transmute, silently governing how our society believes doctors should be trained, how they should communicate with one another and with patients, and how the institutions in which they provide care should be structured.  

 

     These unspoken rules constitute what one might call a "medical culture," and the intended and unintended consequences of this culture are being navigated and challenged by providers and consumers of medical care on a daily basis.

 

     This year, the Conversations in Medicine Symposium is thrilled to welcome a series of prominent speakers who will address the diverse ways in which various factors - such as medical education, health policy and economics, the emotional experience of physicians, and the ability of patients to advocate for themselves in healthcare settings - both shape and are shaped by our medical culture.