P-METaL: Metaphysics and Hopes for Humanism and Flourishing in Medical Education

From Medical Education Matters, welcome to the Philosophies of Medical Education Transformation Lab (P-METaL) podcast series, a forum for thought-provoking discussions at the intersection of medicine, philosophy, and medical education. In this episode, hosts Fabrice Jotterand, and James Woodruff discuss metaphysics in medical education, the fundamental assumptions that drive our practice of medical education, as well as diving into the value of the humanities and humanism in medicine and flourishing. They share their hopes and goals for inclusion of philosophy in medical education and discuss what it means to flourish in our work.

Use these timestamps to jump to a topic of interest, or just listen all the way through!

1:37—What is metaphysics and why discuss metaphysics in the context of medicine?

4:37—Tension between objectivity and subjectivity

12:20—The value of philosophical concepts into medical education

16:38—Fundamental assumptions in medicine that come from the basic and natural sciences

18:14—The techno-science framework and its role in medicine

23:38—Talking philosophy with academic leaders

25:54—Infusing philosophical questions into medical education curriculum

31:56—The value of the humanities in medical education

34:40—Ultimate goals for medical students through the addition of humanities and discussion of philosophy

36:52—Flourishing as part of medical training and practice

The Philosophies of Medical Education Transformation Lab (P-METaL) has a dedicated email address for their work, and they'd love your feedback on this episode and future episodes in this series. Please reach them at PMETaLMedEd@gmail.com.

This podcast is brought to you by Medical College of Wisconsin. To learn more about MCW's transformative medical education, visit here: https://www.mcw.edu/education/medical-school

Hosts:

Fabrice Jotterand, PHD, MA (https://www.mcw.edu/departments/center-for-bioethics-and-medical-humanities/people/fabrice-jotterand-phd-ma)

James Woodruff, MD (https://pritzker.uchicago.edu/admin/person/james-n-woodruff-md)

Producer: Michael T. Braun