Doctor as Person

The Doctor as Person Fellowship Program exists to consider the meaning of what it means to be physicians who are first and foremost people.  It aims to cultivate the humanity of physicians and not simply to transfer knowledge. Consequently, this program explores a wide range of questions at the heart of human experience. Through exploring questions like what a good life entails and how architecture shapes our practices, fellows will develop practices of deep engagement in matters that are not otherwise explored in conventional medical education. The entire program is undergirded by a particular vision:

“[W]hat we need is less to remind ourselves to act as people, to somehow take on the role of person, and instead we need an environment where we can be nurtured as people” (Liao, 2020)

The program is based on principles discussed in The physician as person (Liao, 2017):

1. The shared humanity and experiences between physicians and patients

2. The integrated self that cannot be readily compartmentalized into personal and professional elements

3. The dynamic, thinking, and affective nature of people

4. Human finitude

5. The moral nature of people

To learn more about the program, contact Fellowship Director, Lester Liao.

The inaugural cohort was generously supported by the Jonathan Campbell Meakins and Family Memorial Fellowship through the Institute of Health Sciences Education at McGill University.